Endings and Beginnings
by lkuecrar
Summary: A lunatic sending you threats? Check. An infuriating, and slightly over-protective, Head Boy? Check. Anything else? Plenty. Hermione will get more than she bargained for as she returns to Hogwarts to complete her final year. EWE, post-war, Hogwarts "eighth years", Head Student fic, and something more!
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello, Dramione fans! I haven't ever written anything for Harry Potter (which is crazy, considering Dramione fanfiction is probably my favorite to read), so I hope that I don't suck at it! Don't forget to _**FAVORITE**_and _**REVIEW!**_

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! J.K. ROWLING MADE THESE CHARACTERS; I'M JUST BORROWING THEM FOR A BIT! THANKS!

* * *

After the Battle of Hogwarts, many of us were faced with something we never thought we would have to deal with: what do we do now? I thought about the kiss that Ron and I shared during the heat of the battle; it wasn't at all what I had thought it would be. Surprisingly, it was sloppy, wet, and generally unpleasant. I would never tell him how _bad _it was.

_We already bicker over the smallest of things; critiquing his… skills wouldn't help anything._ A frown marred my face at my thoughts. _What am I doing? Thinking about kissing and boys while I should be helping search for victims! I should be ashamed! _I shook my head and began to search with renewed vigor. "_Homenum Revelio"_. I was relieved to see no human presence in the damaged hallway. It hurt my heart to see the place that I had grown to love in this state. There were some sections of the castle that were too unsafe to travel into at the moment because large portions of the walls had been blown out, leaving unsteady and unsupported rooves above. After casting the human detection charm once more, just to be safe, I left and turned down another hallway and lifted my wand in front of me. "_Homenum Revelio". _

To my surprise, and horror, a light began to glow above a large pile of rubble. I immediately ran towards the pile and began levitating large pieces of stone off of the pile. I heard a groan after I lifted a particularly large piece of stone. "Hold on! I've almost got you out!" I lifted another large piece of rubble, and was relieved to see that there was a large shield from one of the suits of armor propped between the person and the rubble. There was so much rubble still on top of the person, and knowing that they had protection, I raised my wand again. "_Bombarda!"_

The rubble flew in all different directions, but I didn't care as I scrambled towards the person underneath the shield. I could see a shiny black boot sticking out from underneath one edge of the shield. _Well, that's either a man, or a woman with extremely large feet._ I got closer to the person and kicked the shield off of them, pulling my wand up at the same time. Just in case that there was a death eater underneath the shield, I wanted to be prepared.

To my surprise, it was a death eater, but not one that I was afraid of. Draco Malfoy lay on the ground in front of me cradling his clearly broken arm towards his body. "Malfoy?"

At my voice, he let out another moan. "Are you actually hurt, or are you just carrying on?" When I received no reply, I cautiously stepped towards him. "Malfoy?" I still received no reply. I nudged the pureblood with my foot. Again, I received no reply or scathing remark. _Oh God! What if he's actually hurt and I'm just standing here heckling him? _At that thought, I immediately levitated him off the ground. That time, I got a groan out of him, but nothing else.

I took off in a sprint towards the Great Hall, oblivious to the weird looks I was receiving. A few days later, I would laugh at the image of myself running through the halls looking as if I had been to Hell and back, with a floating unconscious Draco Malfoy following me. I finally reached the Great Hall and busted through the doors loudly; again, I received odd looks. Madam Pomfrey immediately bustled over to an empty part of the table and beckoned me to place him on it. Moments after he was placed on the table, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy both rushed into the Great Hall. I could see the confusion and apprehension on their face as they neared; why would the mudblood be next to their son? Just as I turned to leave, I heard a faint whisper. "Thanks, Granger."

I whipped back around to look at the blonde, whose silver eyes were trained on me. I gave him a tentative smile and nod, and then turned to leave. As I was leaving the room, a single thought fluttered through my mind, over and over again. _He didn't call me a mudblood._

* * *

The following summer was one of the hardest experiences of my life. Kingsley had sent a team of aurors to search for my parents in Australia a week after the Battle of Hogwarts. That was two months ago, and they still hadn't found a trace of my parents. The issue with my parents wasn't the worst part; I had gone to well-over twenty funerals and memorials in the past two months, and some of them had been for friends that I had grown up with.

Professor McGonagall had approached Harry, Ron, and I after the last funeral we had attended to give us an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. She told us that, since our last year of school had been taken from us, we could make it up this coming school year. The invitation was extended to any of the students from our year, but that we weren't obligated to attend. After hearing Harry and Ron decline, I jumped at the chance to be free of Ron. My two best friends chuckled at my enthusiasm; they chocked it down to my love of education. _If only they knew, then they wouldn't be laughing. _The professor told me to expect a letter in July, as the semester would be beginning in August.

After the battle, Ron had become clingy and, for lack of a better word, annoying. I hadn't been able to let him down, and had consequently been trapped into an unwanted relationship. _I should have put a stop to it immediately! Now it's only going to be worse when I _do_ manage to break it off!_ _At least I'll be free of him this school year! It will be weird without the two of them with me, though. Thank Merlin that Ginny didn't take the honorary diploma as well; I wouldn't have_ any _friends at all_!

I refused to think about the fact that I would have no real friends in my year. Every single one of my friends took the honorary diploma extended to them, and had begun their lives as adults. Harry, Ron, and Seamus had all begun an internship with the Auror Department in the Ministry, Neville travelled to South America where he could study herbology deeper, and Luna took over her father's "newspaper", _The Quibbler._ I keep telling myself that I don't need to worry about having friends with me because this year, I need to focus on my studies more than anything else for the N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year. With that thought, I had been trying to keep my self from worrying.

I was torn out of my brooding by a sharp pecking on my bedroom window. I had decided to live at my childhood home until the school year started, even if my parents weren't here; I reasoned that the Weasleys didn't need me intruding while they grieved for Fred. I rose from my bed and headed towards the window to let the impatient barn owl in. After taking the thick envelope that it was carrying, the owl immediately flew back out of my window. _What a rude owl!_ I chuckled as I lay back down on my bed. I looked at the envelope in my hand, and let out a squeal. My Hogwarts letter had finally come!

I opened the envelope, and immediately felt something fall onto my lap. My eyes widened as I took in the sight of the ornate badge that fell into my lap. _It can't be!_ I hurriedly read down my letter, and let out another squeal when I confirmed my suspicions. _I made Head Girl! Oh, I wish mom were here to see this!_

Deciding that I had to tell Harry about getting the position of Head Girl, I ran down the stairs and into the living room. I stuck my head into the fireplace and made a floo call to Grimmauld Place. I immediately saw Harry and Ginny in a heavy snogging session on the couch; I let out a squeak and saw the two fly apart. "I'm so sorry!"

Ginny recovered first. "It's fine, Hermione! Honestly, we should have expected it, doing that in front of the fireplace and all! What is it that you wanted?"

I remembered why I called, and immediately forgot about my awkwardness. "My Hogwarts letter came today, and I got Head Girl!"

Ginny spoke first. "Congratulations! I'm not surprised, really. Who else would've gotten it? Do you know who the Head Boy is, by any chance?"

At the thought of my partner for the coming year, I blanched. Who would be Head Boy if it weren't Ron or Harry? "I have no clue. The letter didn't say."

Ginny looked confused, but shook it off quickly. "That's odd. When Percy got Head Boy, his letter told him who would be Head Girl. Oh well, I guess we'll find out on the train ride this year."

Conversation shifted away from school, and soon I had told the pair goodnight. As I rose from the fireplace, my mind drifted back to the Head Boy. _I wonder why I wasn't told? _I decided that it would be fruitless to think about that question, and headed for bed.

* * *

A month later, I found myself in the newly rebuilt Diagon Alley to get supplies for the coming school year. All of the shops that had been destroyed during the war were back to normal, even Gringotts Bank was back to its pristine condition. I shook my head in disbelief as I remembered flying out of the bank on a dragon's back. I kept my head low, and drew my cloak's hood over my head, and tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible. I had become a bit of a celebrity after the final battle, and now I was recognized everywhere I went.

I headed towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, the place where I had promised to meet Ginny. I stepped into the familiar shop and immediately spotted the familiar head of red hair.

Ginny was reading the _Daily Prophet_, and looked up when I sidled next to her in line. I could see her questioning looks at my hood, and went ahead and answered her unasked question. "It's easier to just avoid anyone recognizing me. I spent so long hiding from the snatchers, and now I have to hide from the public!"

Ginny let out an unladylike snort. "Well, it's nice the fame hasn't gotten to your head."

My eyes widened and I began stammering, until I saw the sly grin on her face. I huffed and rolled my eyes at her. A few minutes later, we were heading to our first stop, Flourish and Blotts, for our textbooks. The day continued on as we checked everything off of our lists.

The final thing left on the list was to get our school robes. We headed to Madam Malkin's boutique to be fitted. I had always despised the place, almost as much as I despised Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. When we entered the shop, my face dropped as I saw who was being fitted. Draco Malfoy stood on a small podium in front of three mirrors that allowed for views from many different angles.

Off to the side, his mother was standing. Narcissa Malfoy was as beautiful as ever, but something seemed different about her. She almost seemed to be standing in a defensive position, like she didn't want to be there. The thought that such a pompous woman would be uncomfortable in a clothing store made me giggle.

Hoping that neither of the purebloods would see us, I pulled my cloak tighter around my body. Ginny didn't seem to notice, or maybe she just didn't care, that two Malfoys were in the shop with us.

She loudly dragged me towards the counter that happened to be very near to the very people that I was trying to avoid. "Come on Hermione! We are almost done with the shopping! I know how much you hate it, but if you cooperate we'll be done quicker! And take that cloak off! You don't need it in here; there's not many people in here!"

I sighed at Ginny's loud words. Resigned to my fate, I unclasped my cloak, slid out of it, and draped it over my arm. I let out a long-suffering sigh and did as she told.

Ginny nodded once I had taken off the cloak. "Now, let's get fitted and get out of here. I want to go back to see that new broom that they just got in this week. They say that it can go…"

I tuned out Ginny's chatter about the newest broomstick and crossed my arms over my chest. I had become so used to the cloak that I felt too exposed without it, especially since I was just wearing a pair of jeans and a simple black shirt. A tall and severe looking woman came over to us, only to lead us right next to the Malfoys. I read the woman's nametag. _Mildred._ I shuddered. _What a horrid name. _It didn't take long to realize that Mildred's personality fit her name. While taking Ginny's measurements, she managed to pull out some of her hair and stab her a few times with her needle. It took everything I could to keep Ginny from hexing the woman; then it was my turn.

At first, I was trying to be patient with the woman. After she managed to rip out some of my hair as well, and then stab me with a needle three times in a row, my patience was wearing thin. When she stabbed me again, I let out a loud yelp. "If you wouldn't squirm around so much, then I wouldn't poke you with this needle!" Mildred also apparently was "gifted" with a horrible voice as well, reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard.

I opened my mouth to reply, when I was cut off. A cool voice that could make anyone feel inferior spoke up. "Mildred, if you wouldn't poke the poor girl then she wouldn't be squirming around. See to it that you pay attention when handling sharp objects, won't you?" I heard Ginny's sharp gasp, and then poorly-muffled laughter.

I could feel my jaw hanging open. _Narcissa Malfoy just defended me._ I looked towards Mildred, whose face was scrunched up like she had just eaten a lemon. "Yes, Mrs. Malfoy." I then looked to my right, only to see the two Malfoys heading towards the counter in front, overladen with robes.

Twenty minutes later, we exited the shop. Ginny was still laughing at our encounter inside of Madam Malkin's. "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't been there!" Instead of thinking too hard about why _Narcissa Malfoy of all people _would defend me, I just laughed along with Ginny as she pulled me through the throngs of people.

* * *

It was finally September 1. In an hour, I would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to begin my final year of school. In an hour, I would be leaving my two best friends for the first time in seven years. In an hour, I would finally learn who the Head Boy is.

According to my Hogwarts acceptance letter, I was to ride in the Heads' compartment to familiarize myself with the Head Boy. I was a bit nervous about that, as I had never been very outgoing. I just hoped it would be someone that I knew well enough so they wouldn't fawn over me.

I checked my trunk to be sure that I hadn't left anything out, and then headed downstairs to eat a small snack. As I sat down at the dining table, I realized that I should savor the silence of the empty house while I could; the next eight months wouldn't afford me any silence. I smiled at that thought. _It wouldn't be Hogwarts if it were quiet._

I looked around at my childhood home and frowned. When I was a child, this house felt like a home; now, it just felt like I was living in a hotel. There were very few pictures on the walls. The walls themselves were painted in a depressing grey. The carpet was white, and didn't have a stain on it. Overall, the house looked very impersonal and cold. The pervading silence only added to the dreariness that lived in the house. _Wonderful. My home gives off the same vibes as a dementor._

I marched up the stairs and entered my equally dreary bedroom to get my trunk, when I noticed it was pouring rain outside. Happy to actually have an excuse to wear my cloak, I wrapped myself up in it and grabbed my luggage. With a final look around my bedroom, I turned on the spot and felt like I was being pulled through a small tube. _Apparition is possibly the most dreadful feeling I have ever encountered_.

I opened my eyes to see the towering Burrow in front of me. I smiled as I thought about the happy Weasley family that lives here. Realizing that I was just standing in the rain staring at the house, I took off running towards the door; my mouth began watering as I entered the house. _Molly has to be the best cook in the world!_

The Burrow may have been one of the oddest buildings that I had ever seen in my life; it was leaning in some places, and in some, it was defying the laws of physics. If not for the magic supporting it, it would surely collapse. I didn't care though; the Burrow was one of the happiest homes that I had ever been to, if not _the _happiest.

I was surprised when there weren't people rushing around in every direction like usual. Then I realized that, since only Ginny and I were going to Hogwarts this year, there wouldn't be a reason for everyone to be up and about. I walked into the kitchen to see Arthur, Molly, Ron, and Ginny sitting at the table eating. At my entrance, Molly hopped up from her seat and trapped me in a hug. "Hermione! How have you been? It seems like I haven't seen you in ages! Oh dear! You need to eat! You're nothing but skin and bones!"

I laughed at Molly's motherly tendencies and told everyone else good morning. Harry came in a few minutes later, and then we apparated to King's Cross Station. Harry and Ron were going to see us off. The sight of the Hogwarts Express made me tear up as I realized that this would be one of the last times that I would ride the magnificent train that was slowly filling the air with smoke.

Harry, Ron, and I began to notice the stares and murmuring from all of the people around us. Harry immediately turned bright red, and Ron looked nervous. On the other hand, all I felt was anger. We were being treated as if we were in a zoo! I began to glare at the people around us, and began pulling the two boys towards the train. When I reached the entrance, I let go of them. Then, it hit me. I wouldn't be seeing my best friends until Christmas. _If I come home for Christmas, that is._

My eyes began to tear up and I pulled both of the boys into a hug. "I'm going to miss you both so much! It's going to be so weird without you both there to nag and lecture!" I let out a watery laugh.

Harry spoke first. "Hermione, we told you. We'll write every week, at least. You won't be able to get rid of us that easily." I laughed and hugged him around the neck, then turned to Ron. Harry must've felt uncomfortable, so he quietly told us that he was going to find Ginny and tell her goodbye.

I made eye contact with Ron, and nearly cringed when I saw the look on his face. _Oh Godric, no. Please don't do what I think you're about to do. _Ron took a deep breath and began to speak really fast. "Hermione… wearen'tgoingtosee-eachotherforareallylongtime-and IjustwantedtosayIloveyou." My heart stopped. _I can't keep lying to him; he doesn't deserve that._ I could see the nervous expression on Ron's face intensifying the longer I stayed quiet. "Ron, come with me for a moment."

I led Ron to a small alcove off of the platform and turned to him. "Ron. Ron, I'm so sorry. I… I haven't been honest with you. I should have said something that night, but I didn't want to hurt you when Fred had just... Ron, I can't be with you. I'm so, so, sorry." When Ron didn't reply, I began to get worried. Finally, something inside of him snapped.

"Why?" Ron spoke in a deadly quiet voice that I had never heard him use.

"Ron, I'm so sorry! I don't know! I thought that I had feelings for you while we were on the run, and then when we kissed—" I stopped short when I noticed Ron's angry glare. He shook his head in a way that made me feel extremely small.

"Why did you wait until now to say something, huh? What is wrong with you? You know what, I don't care. I'll see you whenever you get back." With that Ron turned and began walking away from me. My eyes widened as he dismissed me.

"Ronald! Don't walk away from me! Ronald Bilius Weasley!" I shouted at him trying to make him turn back, but he never did. _Oh God. What have I done? Did I just lose my best friend?_ I could feel tears working their way down my face, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Then I noticed I had an audience staring at me. I wiped my eyes quickly, lowered my head, and marched onto the train.

There were stares on the train as well. Only this time, it was because I was the war-heroine-best-friend of Harry Potter's. I was glad that no one seemed aware of the scene Ron and I just created. I sluggishly pulled my trunk behind me, until I realized I was to head to the Head's compartment to meet the Head Boy. I wiped my eyes one more time before picking my chin up confidently. I finally reached the front of the train where the compartment lay. I stood outside trying to calm my hammering heartbeat. _You're a Gryffindor! Pull yourself together! You faced Bellatrix LeStrange and lived to tell the tale; you can meet the Head Boy!_

At that thought, I pulled the door open calmly and stepped inside. I let out a breath as I realized the Head Boy wasn't even inside of the compartment. I let out a huff and levitated my trunk onto one of the luggage racks before sitting down at a seat by the window. The compartment was larger than the rest, and had a few tables, chairs, and booths. I looked at my watch; _the train should be pulling off any minute now. I wonder where the Head Boy is?_

I pulled out a potions book that I bought at Flourish and Blotts, and quickly became entranced at the magical theories that lay inside of the cover. I didn't notice the door had opened, or that anyone had entered. I jumped when a drawling voice spoke from my left. "Tell me that you don't read textbooks for fun, Granger."

My face paled as I looked up to see Draco Malfoy towering over me. "What does it matter what I read for fun? Reading is reading, but I would rather read something practical than waste my time reading some trashy romance novel, thank you very much. And—Wait, what are you doing in here? This is the Heads' compartment."

Malfoy wore one of the largest smirks I had ever seen. I began to worry. _Oh no. What is he planning?_ I saw him lift his hand to his chest, and begin tapping on a piece of metal that looked like a small shield. I stared in shock at the badge that matched my own. At my horrified look, Malfoy's grin stretched even wider. "Does that answer your question, _partner?_"

* * *

AN: I meant for this to be a one-shot, but it's already at 4000 words, so I decided to just break this up into a few chapters. This won't be a huge story. I think. Tell me how it is, and if you like it! Don't forget to _**FAVORITE**_ and _**REVIEW!**_


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I decided I wanted to go ahead and put another chapter tonight, since I already got a review from "IamHazeldaughterofPluto". CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE THE FIRST REVIEWER; YOU WIN NOTHING! Thanks for liking my story, though! That's pretty cool!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ITS CHARACTERS!

* * *

Thankfully, after my horrible revelation, Malfoy decided that I wasn't that interesting and sat on the other side of the cart from me with his feet propped onto one of the polished tables. In his hands was a copy of the _Daily Prophet_; every now and again the pureblood would let out an undignified snort at something he found particularly stupid inside of the paper. _At least we have something in common; we hate the _Prophet _and its badly written, at best, articles._

The prefects had been given instructions by Professor McGonagall to come to the Heads' compartment to get their patrol schedules for the year. I had been prepared for this, and made schedules accordingly during the ending of the summer when I was alone at my home with nothing better to do. I told Malfoy that I had made schedules; he didn't seem to care, so I just handed them out as the prefects arrived. Thankfully none of the Slytherins complained, as I made sure to pair them with the Ravenclaws as much as possible. Even Pansy Parkinson took her schedule without complaining!

About halfway through the train ride, a loud and nasally voice could be heard in the hallway shrieking about something. I heard Crookshanks hiss at the grating noise and absentmindedly began to pet the orange kneazle beside me. I didn't pay too much mind to the continued shrieking until I saw Malfoy grow distressed and hop out of his seat in a panic. At the sight of his panic, I began to panic, thinking that something was wrong. I lowered my potions book. "Malfoy? What is wrong with you? Should I be worried?"

His head snapped towards me as if he forgot that I was even in the compartment. "Granger! Hide me. Now. I refuse to let that idiot hang off of me for the rest of this train ride!" At my skeptical look, he added, "I will stay in this compartment and follow you around if she gets in here! If I have to suffer, you do too!"

I raised an eyebrow at the threat. "She? Let me guess… Is it Pansy?"

A frown marred his face. "Pansy isn't that bad, Granger. No, it isn't Pansy; that harpy in the corridor is Daphne Greengrass. She's been on my back since the end of the summer; she was willing, and I wanted a good shag. If I would've known how much of a leech she was, I would have never touched her, even with a ten foot pole."

I cringed at the thought of Draco Malfoy doing… that. The shrieking in the corridor began to get louder, and I could see the panic creeping growing on his face. I decided to spare him; I let out a long sigh as I rose and exited the cart. Standing exactly in front of me was a beautiful girl with long and straight dirty blonde hair and green eyes. I could see the emerald of her Slytherin robes and sighed. _Why couldn't you be a Ravenclaw?_

_This is going to go well_. "Do you need anything or are you just shrieking for the fun of it? I was trying to read, but I couldn't think straight with your incessant screaming."

The girl narrowed her eyes at me. "Excuse me? Do _not_ talk to me with that tone, mudblood. I don't care who you are; all you'll ever be is a mudblood to the people that _really_ matter. Now, move out of my way; I need to see Draco. I'm sure he's glad that _you_ finally got out of his hair."

I stared in shock at the rude girl in front of me. "I would rather be a muggleborn than an inbred pureblood. Tell me, how do you fit all those extra toes in your shoes? By the way, Malfoy isn't in there. He left a while ago to sit with the other Slytherins. I'm surprised you missed him; that hair of his stands out in a crowd. Oh, and I'm docking ten points from Slytherin for verbally attacking the Head Girl." With that, I turned around and shut the door in the girls face and locked it.

Malfoy was staring at me in shock when I came back in. "What? If you're going to fight with me about taking points from your house, don't waste your breath. You heard how she was talking to me." His staring was beginning to aggravate me.

The blonde pushed his hair away from his eyes and continued staring at me pensively. "You've changed. I remember when that would've sent you running off to cry. Damn, Granger; that was impressive."

I made my way back to my seat without acknowledging him, and hoped that I wasn't blushing too furiously. "Better be careful; people might think you've grown a heart. That girl was extremely rude; someone needed to stop her." I opened my potions book, hoping that Malfoy wouldn't talk to me anymore. Crookshanks crawled back into my lap and plopped down moments after I seated myself.

I was disappointed, as I usually am when it comes to him. "A heart? Malfoys don't _do_ emotions. I just know that I'll have to step up my game when it comes to you, since you've seemed to toughen up a bit. We do agree on one thing though; the slag needs to be put in her place."

I didn't respond. _So he does plan to torture me all year. I'll hex him if he becomes too unbearable._ Angrily, I replied. "Well, when you get physically tortured by a lunatic, you tend to grow a bit stronger. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and all of that." I noticed his immediate stiffening at the mention of his insane aunt. Surprisingly, I didn't receive a scathing retort; the pureblood seemed to decide that he was going to ignore my existence for now. _Fine by me._

The rest of the train ride was spent in silence as we both became absorbed in what we were reading. The conductor gave an announcement that we would reach the station in half an hour; I put my book down and reached up to my trunk to get my school robes. Malfoy did the same, and we were both back into our respective reading material five minutes later.

When the train began to slow, I could see the glinting lights of the Hogsmeade Station on the Black Lake. I turned to look at the other occupant in my compartment. "Malfoy, we need to get going. We're going to have to lead the first years to the boats along with Hagrid." When I received no reply, other than a scoff at Hagrid's name, I let out a huff and left the cart with my trunk and Crookshanks. I headed towards the door and was the first to step out when the doors opened. I took a deep breath of fresh air; living in London doesn't exactly afford you the cleanest air to breathe.

I began herding the first years into a single group as best as I could. I finally saw Malfoy get off of the train after I had gotten all of the first years under control. Sarcastically, I thanked him for his help. The git just gave me a lazy smirk. _I wonder if anyone would notice if I avada'd him?_

We, meaning I, led the nervous first years down to the docks where Hagrid would take them across the lake on the boats. When I saw Hagrid, I ran up to the half-giant and gave him a huge hug. "Hagrid! It's so good to see you again!"

Hagrid squeezed me back tightly. "'Ermione! I didn' know you were comin' back. It's good to see ya too."

Before I could reply, I heard a scoff come from behind me. I turned to look at the pureblood standing behind me with a scowl on his face. "Granger, this is very touching, but, if you wouldn't mind, we need to be going. I'd prefer to make it to the castle before dinner is over." When he finished, Malfoy turned around and began walking back towards the lone carriage that was waiting for us.

I turned back to Hagrid, apologized for Malfoy's rude behavior, promised to come visit him at his hut, and then finally headed for the carriage. My face dropped as I realized that I could finally see the thestral that was pulling the cart. I dreaded this ride. _At least in the Heads' compartment I didn't have to sit near him. Maybe I'll just sic Crookshanks on him if he acts like a git._ At the thought of my beast of a pet attacking Malfoy, I smiled again and got into the carriage.

Immediately, Malfoy started complaining. "I swear, Granger, if you made us miss dinner because you couldn't separate yourself from that oaf, I will hide every one of your textbooks all across the school. Honestly, these carts go slow as it is…"

I did my best to tune out Malfoy's complaints. I learned through the years that ignoring him was always the best way to get under his skin. People like him thrive off of attention; deprive him of it, and he'll be miserable as everyone around him. My plan worked; I could hear him huff or sigh every few seconds. I smiled a bit at his aggravation. _Serves you right, calling Hagrid an oaf!_

The carriage finally reached the school. Malfoy hurriedly flung himself out of the carriage and went into the school quickly. _Men: always thinking with their stomachs. _I snorted at the dignified Malfoy running to dinner like he is Ron. I immediately felt bad at the thought of Ron. _I really hope he forgives me; I also really hope he doesn't tell everyone out of spite. Knowing him, he'll turn it around so that it sounds like I was the one who was hurt. _I finally reached the Great Hall, and laughed. _The last time I came through these doors, I had a floating Malfoy behind me. _I looked towards Malfoy and realized he must've had the same thought, because he had a slight smile on his lips. _He looks much better when he smiles instead of smirks. It kind of makes his face look less severe and sharp. _I shook myself out of my thoughts, though, as I sat down across from Ginny.

She immediately began asking questions. "You just missed the sorting ceremony. I think this is the first time that the sorting hat didn't prophesy something horrible. Oh Merlin! I heard that Malfoy got Head Boy; that must've been terrible on the ride here! Is he as bad as usual?"

I gave Ginny a reassuring smile. "He isn't anything that I can't handle. I would've preferred anyone else, really, but I'll just have to deal with it. I did have to save him from Daphne Greengrass on the train ride, though; such a nasty person. I stopped her incessant shrieking, and got to deduct points from the Slytherin house, so it was bearable."

Ginny opened her mouth to reply, but Professor McGonagall stepped up to her podium and called for our attention. "Students, if I may have your attention. Most of you know by now, but I am the new Headmistress of Hogwarts. I want to welcome you all back! Hopefully, we can manage to have a year without any… excitement." At this, she looked pointedly at Ginny and I. She continued, "I want to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is, well, forbidden. Also, do not provoke the Giant Squid in the Black Lake; we will not be held responsible if you are harmed. The curfew each night is at ten sharp. If you are found out after curfew, you will be punished accordingly. Enough of rules; dig in!"

The tables were immediately laden with all sorts of food; you could find anything you wanted. I absentmindedly nibbled on a roll as I thought about the situation with Ron. _I wonder if I can talk to Ginny about it? Maybe she'll understand; then again, he's her brother, and she might be angry with me. What to do?_

After the feast was finished, Headmistress McGonagall told the prefects to lead the first years to their dormitories. Before I could question her on why Malfoy and I weren't helping, she beckoned for us to follow her. My curiosity was piqued. "Professor, where exactly are we going? Shouldn't we be helping the prefects?" I could see from the corner of my eye that Malfoy was listening, even if he was pretending that he wasn't. _So he doesn't know either?_

Professor McGonagall sucked in a deep breath before stopping and turning around to speak to us. "You're both aware that Professor Dumbledore wished to see the four houses more unified. Well, you two are where he wanted to start. He picked you two to be Head students during your second year after he saw the obvious strife between the two of you. He was insistent that we do this, to the point of mentioning in his final will that you two would be Head students… and that you would share a common room, as every pair of Head students after you two will. I am taking you to the Heads' common room."

My mind had gone blank. _What?_ Before I could protest, Malfoy beat me to it. "What?! We have to _live_ together? What was that lunatic thinking?! We _cannot_ stand each other! I refuse! She'll try to kill me in my sleep!" I could hear him taking in ragged breaths after his outburst. _Well, even though I don't want to do this anymore than him, it kind of hurts that he would assume I would _kill _him!_

Professor McGonagall didn't look impressed. "Mr. Malfoy, if you refuse, then you will forfeit your position as Head Boy. I know you won't do that, so you are just going to have to accept living with Ms. Granger. I don't like this anymore than you two do; honestly, who encourages two teenagers of the opposite sex to live together! I trust that you two won't do anything… tasteless during your stay."

My face grew red. _Did she just imply that we would sleep together?! _"You don't have to worry about that professor. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole, not that he'd let me, in any case." McGonagall nodded and turned around to a painting of a gaunt looking woman playing a piano. "The password is _Requiem_." The woman stopped playing her piano as the door swung open. "I'll leave you to settle in. Goodnight." The elder witch turned in a swish of robes, and left us in front of the opened passage.

I walked in first and smiled at the common room. The walls were a warm beige color, while the floors were a dark hard wood. There were a few cushy-looking chairs dispersed throughout the room, and all of them were upholstered in a dark leather. One wall held a large fireplace with the only couch in the room facing towards it. The wall opposite the fireplace had two staircases, which I assumed led to our bedrooms. There was a doorway that led to a small kitchen. The final wall was a dedicated bookshelf, with a window seat set in the middle of the large bookcase. _I can't wait to curl up right there and read a few books! I bet Crookshanks will love it, too!_

Until then, I had forgotten about Malfoy. That was, until he pushed me aside to get into the common room. Deciding that I didn't feel like dealing with him, I held my tongue and went up the staircase to the right. I pushed open the door at the top and smiled again at the same warm coloring that was in the common room. There was a large four-poster bed with beige drapes and white sheets in the center of the room. I unpacked all of my things using my wand into the cupboard in the corner of the room. I noticed a door on the wall that my bed was facing towards and went to investigate. I pushed the door back and let out a happy sigh.

The bathroom that I had just stepped foot into was magnificent. The prefects' bathroom had a nice bathtub, but this one was just as nice, if not nicer. The entire room was made of a light brown marble, but still felt warm. _It must be charmed. I'd love to know what charm is used to do this! It would be lovely to never have to go into a cold bathroom again._

I decided that I wanted to take a bath, so I went back into my room to get my bath bag, as I had taken to calling it. It had everything I needed for a bath: soaps, shampoos, a towel, a razor, lotions, bath salts, etc. I fit it all into a small bag with the use of an Undetectable Extension Charm.

After drawing a bath and settling into the steamy and bubbly water, I began to relax. My mind began drifting towards Ron again. _I've got to make things right. He probably needs space at the moment, though. I'll write Harry tomorrow and explain to him what happened. If anyone will understand, it'll be him. Maybe I'll get to him before Ron does; at least that will help with damage control._

I let out a sigh at the wonderful feeling of warm water all over me. I could feel myself getting pruney, so I decided to get out. I barely had my towel wrapped around me when the door opposite of mine opened. Draco Malfoy stood in all of his glory with nothing but a pair of boxers on. I shrieked, and could feel myself blushing from head to toe. "Get out! Right now Malfoy!"

Instead of leaving, he walked closer to me. "Why do I have to leave? You seemed to be leaving already; you've been in here long enough already. I am going to drop my underwear in ten seconds, either way. I suggest, if you don't want to see my bits, you ought to get a move on."

_I have no words for this vile person!_ I let out a frustrated scream and hightailed it out of the bathroom before I could find out if he was bluffing or not. I slammed my door shut, locked both of them, and got dressed quickly as I could into my pajamas.

I lay down on my bed and felt Crookshanks jump up right beside me. I began to stroke the kneazle's orange fur. "He's such a git, boy. I don't understand why he has to act so rudely to me. At least I've got you here with me; you won't let him walk all over us!" I continued to rub Crookshanks' fur and let his purring put me to sleep.

* * *

AN: At least there was a bit more to this chapter than the last. The last chapter was a sort of introductory chapter that I used to set things up. This chapter is really where the story _begins._ Again, don't forget to _**FAVORITE**_and _**REVIEW!**_


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I changed the summary of this story! I think this one is better, and I had an idea of where/what I wanted to do with this story; hopefully it's a good idea. I changed the genres too (don't worry, it's still Dramione); I changed the secondary genre from humor to adventure. I'm not that funny, but I hope that I can still manage to insert a bit of comedic relief into the story! Enough of my blabbering, though!

Disclaimer: Check the first two chapters; I still don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does, and whoever published the books!

* * *

I was on a warpath. I had seen a few people scramble out of my way already, and I had only just reached the Great Hall. As I entered the room, I immediately looked towards Malfoy. He and a few other Slytherins were staring at me and laughing; I sent a scorching glare and felt a bit of satisfaction as they looked away from me quickly. When I reached the Gryffindor table, I slammed my books down onto the table and flopped onto the bench. I propped my elbows onto the table, ignoring the fact that my parents would be scolding me for having such bad manners, and rested my head into my hands. I could feel Malfoy's posse's eyes on my back, and gritted my teeth in aggravation.

Ginny was the only one at the table brave enough to talk to me. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

I snorted. "Take a guess. I'll even give you a clue: I live with the prat."

Ginny nodded her head slowly in understanding. "Well, what exactly did Malfoy do? I think the last time he riled you up to this point you punched him. Maybe you should remind him?"

My cheeks lightly blushed. _That punch did feel good._ "It started last night while I was bathing…" I told Ginny all about Malfoy barging in on me while I was in nothing but a towel, and how he got me to leave. "That was nothing, though. This morning, I woke up only to find all of my books enchanted to fly around the common room and attack me on sight. I managed to stop all of them, but I damaged some of the last pages in my potions book." I let out a miserable sigh. "I should have just left him under that pile of rubble when I had the chance."

I heard Ginny snort at my last comment. I looked across the table and saw her eyes twinkling; I knew that she was trying her best to not laugh at my whining. "Hermione, you aren't going to take all of this lying down, are you? I've never seen you just accept defeat like this. You're Hermione Granger; Draco Malfoy is an idiot that you can definitely handle. Buck up." At the end of her little motivational speech, Ginny began to slather a piece of toast with jelly. _Definitely a Weasley; she can't even speak to me properly when there is food around!_

I smiled towards Ginny with renewed confidence. "You're right. I'm Hermione Granger! He isn't going to get the best of me; I refuse to let him win this little game any longer!" Again, Ginny looked on at me amusedly, but then her eyes focused on something behind me.

Before I knew what was happening, Ginny had her wand up. "_Protego!"_ I spun around and watched as oatmeal slowly slid down the magical shield. My eyes widened. _Malfoy._

Sure enough, a cackling group of Slytherins surrounded Malfoy. Ginny was getting ready to send a Bat-Bogey Hex their way before I stopped her. "No! He'll take points from you if you retaliate." Ginny looked at me angrily, until I continued. "He can't take points from me, though." A smirk replaced the angry look on her face.

I pulled my wand out underneath the table and began to focus on the Slytherin table on the other side of the room. I had never done nonverbal magic on something behind me. _Hopefully I'll get this right_. I began thinking of what spell I would use. My face slowly morphed into a malicious smile. _Bombarda Maxima!_

Immediately, I heard an explosion followed by shrieking coming from the other side of the room. I spun around and grinned widely at the sight of the food-covered Slytherins. All of the plates on the table had exploded, sending food flying. _It worked! _I looked towards Malfoy's food-coated countenance and gave him a serene smile. The heated glare he sent me only made me widen my smile.

I tucked my wand back into my sleeve and turned back around to look at Ginny. She seemed to be torn between laughing at staring at me in shock. "Did you… Did you do that? Oh my Merlin. Hermione Granger just acted childishly; someone call the _Prophet!_"

I rolled my eyes, but nodded. "I'm actually kind of surprised that worked. I've never done nonverbal magic that far away; it was behind me, too. I'm actually kind of proud of myself, even if I only succeeded in embarrassing a few Slytherins!" I could still feel Malfoy's seething glare on my back. "I think I may have just kicked the hornets' nest, so to speak."

The red head raised her eyebrow at me. "Well, on the bright side we'll be together all day, so I'll have your back." I nodded, and felt thankful that Professor McGonagall put the returning students from my year into the year below us. Ginny and I were both in the N.E.W.T level classes, so we had everything together. _Too bad Malfoy, Parkinson, and Zabini are in most of those classes, though._

A few minutes later, Ginny and I were headed down a flight of stairs and into the dungeons for our first class of the day: double Potions with the other N.E.W.T level students. There are so few of us on this level that there would be students from all houses in this class. I frowned as I thought about having multiple classes with Malfoy and his posse_._ I wasn't too worried though; the majority of the class would likely be Ravenclaws, as most N.E.W.T level classes were. _Hopefully, Malfoy will just ignore me and let me enjoy the classes. _

Ginny and I reached the classroom to see the front desks filled with early Ravenclaws, and Hannah Abbott, the only Hufflepuff in the class. We took a seat behind Michael Corner and Terry Boot moments before a loud group came into the room. _Here we go. _I groaned as I heard the familiar shrieking of Astoria giving Malfoy a… farewell. I could hear the Ravenclaws grumbling at the loud antics of Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson as they came into the room. _Great. There are more Slytherins in here than Gryffindors. _My frown deepened at that thought.

The Slytherin's took the seat behind Ginny and I. Seconds after the three of them took a seat, I felt something poking my hair. I whipped around to see Pansy Parkinson's wand in my face. I gave her a hot glare. "What _are _you _doing?_"

The pug-faced witch gave me a sugary sweet smile. "Well, I was hoping that I would be able to poke your bushy hair down a bit. I can't exactly see anything except for your _mane_. I knew you were a Gryffindor, but trying to actually _be _the mascot is taking it a bit far, isn't it, Granger?" I began to splutter when Malfoy and Zabini began laughing. _My hair isn't that bushy anymore! Is it?_ I spun back around in a huff just as Professor Slughorn came waddling in.

I tried my best to pay attention, but the temptation of spinning around and hexing the Slytherins behind me was beginning to grow. The three snakes continued heckling Ginny and I throughout the class; Blaise repeatedly changed Ginny's hair color when Professor Slughorn wasn't looking, while telling her that the vivid shade of red did her _no _favors. Pansy continued poking my hair with her wand as Slughorn wrote on his chalkboard. For once, Malfoy didn't do anything; he just sat back and enjoyed the show while peacefully working on his potion.

A final poke broke my resolve. I pulled my wand out of my sleeve underneath my desk and focused on the doxy wings sitting on my table. _Since she isn't paying attention to her cauldron, this should be easy. _I slowly levitated the wings to Pansy's cauldron and dropped them in. The reaction was immediate. A gray sludge exploded out of Pansy's cauldron, covering her and Zabini. Malfoy casted a shield charm before any sludge could get on him. Ginny instantly began laughing at the slime-coated Slytherins' shocked faces.

Before any of the Slytherins could speak, Professor Slughorn came to the back of the classroom. "Well, I didn't think we would have to worry about exploding cauldrons in a N.E.W.T level potion class. From my own house as well! I'm taking ten points from Slytherin, and giving you detention Ms. Parkinson. You'll be cleaning this mess up tonight." I could hear the Slytherin's sputtering, but Professor Slughorn ignored her and went back to the front of the classroom.

The Ravenclaws didn't look impressed with the interruption, and immediately went back to work on their potions, as did Hannah. _Am I that snooty when it comes to schoolwork? I guess it was_ _no wonder people disliked me in first year._

The rest of the class went on in silence, only broken by the occasional question. When class ended, the Slytherins were the first to leave. Ginny and I followed behind them; we began laughing as we heard Parkinson saying that she was _sure _she didn't do anything wrong with her potion, and that it just exploded.

The day continued on while the rest of our classes were spent feuding with the three Slytherins. Professor Sinistra had moved to take over DADA, as barely any students signed up for astronomy, and she had always had a passion for the subject. I had been looking forward to this class all day for one reason: I won't have to discreetly hex Pansy. Again, Ginny and I sat behind Michael and Terry; the Slytherins sat behind us.

Professor Sinistra was a tall and willowy woman with dark hair, skin, and eyes. She was wearing her usual shimmering olive-drab robes and pointed hat. "Hello, class. I recognize everyone in here, so we aren't going to need any introductions. I've decided that instead of boring you, we would just jump right into it. I want to refresh an old lesson: the boggart." I felt my heartbeat speed up at the mention of the creature.

The professor didn't seem to notice the classes' anticipation and continued talking. "A boggart takes the form of its victim's worst fear. Do any of you remember the correct way of disarming a boggart?"

My arm was in the air immediately. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

I sucked in a breath and began reciting the DADA textbook from year three, verbatim. "The charm that combats a boggart is _Riddikulus_. The charm requires a strong mind and good concentration. The incantation and wand movement alone will not affect a boggart. The correct way to perform the charm is to push past the fear, and concentrate on something that will make the boggart look amusing. The charm does not, in fact, repel a boggart; it just forces it to assume a shape that the caster will find comical, inspiring laughter, which will defeat a boggart."

I heard snickering behind me. Malfoy's drawling voice spoke to his friends. "Of course the know-it-all has the book memorized." I sunk in my seat at the taunting.

Professor Sinistra, unaware of Malfoy's taunting, continued on. "That's correct. Five points to Gryffindor. As Miss Granger said, push through your fear, think of something amusing that will cause laughter, and then use the charm _Riddikulus_. Now, everyone stand up." The tables vanished as we stood, and a large wardrobe was brought to the front of the room. "Get into a single file line. Who would like to go first?"

A few Ravenclaws were eager to prove themselves. Naturally, the majority of their fears were that of failure. I shuddered as I remembered the fear I felt at failing, which is what form the boggart took the last time I encountered it. The Ravenclaws managed to turn the failed papers into lists of jokes. Finally, it was my turn. I stepped up to the wardrobe and braced myself for the failure that the boggart would become. After giving the professor the okay, the wardrobe slowly swung open.

I froze. A small pale woman with dark and wild hair came sauntering out of wardrobe like a lioness looking for her prey. _Bellatrix LeStrange. _I could feel myself begin to shake; my body wouldn't listen as I tried to raise my wand. All I could do was focus on the witch that was advancing on me. _No. Not again, please! Please! Help me!_ _Somebody help me! _Bellatrix raised her wand and began cackling. "Ready for round two, Mudblood?"

"_Ridikulus!"_ I watched as Bellatrix's dark robes were replaced with whimsical robes, similar to the ones that Dumbledore used to wear. A pair of rose-colored glasses completed the look. I turned around to see Draco Malfoy with his wand in the air and the class staring at both of us. Not only was I mentally exhausted from the harassment of the three Slytherins all day, but also old wounds had been reopened by the appearance of Bellatrix. I could feel tears begin to prick at my eyes and immediately ran out of the room.

I ran through the corridors of Hogwarts with tears running down my face, uncaring that I was getting lots of weird looks. I finally reached the painting of the gaunt lady playing the piano. "R-requiem." The woman gave me an odd look, but still opened the passageway for me.

I threw myself down on the couch and began to cry. The memories that I had tried so hard to bury were coming back to the surface, and I could do nothing to stop them. I pulled my left sleeve back to my elbow and began crying harder as I saw the ugly scar that Bellatrix had left me with. _Mudblood. _I lay back onto the couch, curled up, and cried until I fell asleep.

* * *

_Boggarts. Hmph. I don't see why Sinistra is making us go back over something we did during third year. _I snorted when the Ravenclaws continued having to defeat a pile of paper. _Bloody swots. _

I perked up when I noticed that it was Granger's turn. _It'll probably be another wad of papers, knowing her. That's what it was during third year, anyway._

My breath caught when, instead of a wad of papers, the boggart turned into my deranged and very dead aunt. I heard shocked gasps around the room, and noticed that Granger had locked up. _What are you doing, you bloody idiot? Why are you just standing there?_ Bellatrix raised her wand at Granger. "Ready for round two, Mudblood?"

_I'm not about to watch this again. _I looked towards Sinistra and saw that she wasn't going to intervene; I stood out of line with my wand raised and headed towards the boggart. "_Riddikulus!_"

The boggart was immediately changed, and Granger snapped out of her trance. I could feel eyes all over me, causing me to bristle. I looked towards Granger and saw her shaking and her eyes began to fill with tears before she brushed past me and ran out of the room crying. There was a shocked silence; finally Michael Corner broke it. "What in Merlin's name was _that_?"

Before I could snap at him, Sinistra spoke. "Well, I think that is enough for today. You all are dismissed." I grabbed my stuff and headed towards the door. Blaise and Pansy sidled up next to me.

Pansy spoke first. "Draco, what _was _that? Why did you help her?" Blaise was looking at me questioningly as well.

I sighed before speaking. "She was, obviously, not moving any time soon; I didn't feel like waiting for her to get over her issues, and went ahead and did the spell myself."

Pansy accepted my answer, even though she didn't look like she believed it. She knew it would be a waste of time trying to force an answer out of me.

Blaise didn't accept either of those things, though, and began questioning me. "What I want to know is why her boggart was your aunt. I mean, she was a terrifying woman and everything, but why is that Granger's _biggest _and _deepest_ fear? I figured it would've been something like an enslaved house elf, or some such nonsense. I know you're lying about why you helped her, too. When Bellatrix came out of that cabinet, something about her and Granger being together made you tense up. What did the boggart mean by "_ready for round two,_" exactly?"

I cursed in my head. _Why does he have to notice every little thing?_ I stopped walking and turned around. _I need to get this off of my chest; it's been eating me up since it happened. They're my best friends; they'll understand._ I grabbed their arms and pulled them both into an empty classroom near the Great Hall. Pansy was asking what I was doing, but Blaise just let me pull him along. I let go of the two of them, spun around, and began speaking immediately. "Around last Easter, Potter, Weasley, and Granger were brought to the Manor by snatchers. They had something with them that was supposed to be in Aunt Bella's vault in Gringotts. She threw Potter and Weasley into the cellar, and but kept Granger. She knew that Granger was the brains of the group, so Aunt Bella tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse until Granger had screamed her voice raw. Then she started on Granger with a knife. She carved the word "mudblood" into her arm; the intent was to scar, which I'm sure it did. Even then, Granger didn't break. After that, Potter and Weasley got out of the cellar and managed to disapparate away with Granger. By then, my whole family had fallen from grace; the three of us were forced to watch as Aunt Bella tortured Granger. She made an example out of her; that would be _us _being tortured if we failed again."

When I finished, I looked at Blaise and Pansy's faces. Pansy looked as if she would be violently ill all over the floor; Blaise's nose was scrunched up in distaste. Pansy spoke first. "How is Granger just going about as if everything is fine? Has she gone insane? You can't even tell anything is wrong with her, other than the bit of crazy that she's always had!"

Blaise turned and stopped Pansy's rant. "Well, you wouldn't exactly want to broadcast that you were _tortured_, would you? No." The dark-skinned wizard turned angrily to me. "Draco why didn't you tell us about this sooner? We didn't know that you were in immediate danger; we would have tried to get you out of there!"

I rolled my eyes. "That's exactly why I didn't tell either of you. You would've just been killed the moment you came to the Manor uninvited. I wouldn't have left my parents at any rate, either."

I was surprised when Pansy stepped towards me and hit me on the chest. Hard. "So that's why you haven't really done anything to her! I just thought about the fact that you have let me tort… harass Granger all day! What is wrong with you?!"

The shock must've been evident on my face at Pansy's outburst. "What? I may not like her very much, but do you think that I would wish what she has gone through on anyone? No! Draco Malfoy, you leave that girl alone! It's the least we can do, after everything we've done through the years to her!" At that, Pansy turned on her heel and left the room in a swish of black robes.

Blaise and I stared in shock at the place that Pansy had just been standing. Blaise broke the silence. "Bloody hell. Who was that, and what have they done with Pansy?" All I could do was nod my head in agreement.

* * *

Dinner was uneventful, especially without Granger there to explode any tables. News of Gryffindor's Princess having a meltdown in DADA had spread quickly; anywhere you looked, you could hear someone talking about it.

I could hear some sixth years further down the table laughing about the Head Girl's panic attack; I balled my fist up tightly and clenched my jaw. I loosened both when I realized what I was doing. _Why am I getting angry with them for doing what I've done for the past seven years of my life?_

I decided that I couldn't listen to all of the ignorant gossipers any longer. I put some food into a napkin before I could stop myself, told Blaise and Pansy that I was heading to the common room, and left. Just as I stepped onto the staircase, I heard someone yell my name.

I was surprised to find the Weasley girl walking towards me. "Malfoy! I know you dislike Hermione and I, at the very least, but will you please take this to her?" She motioned to the bag in her hands. "It's Hermione's, and she left it in DADA when she… Just please. Take it for me? I don't know where the Heads' common room is. She never told me."

I was going to protest, but the glare the redhead sent me stopped me. With a sigh, I took the bag from her. "Fine. Don't expect me to help you out again."

The Weaslette looked like she wanted to retort, but held her tongue. She ground out a thanks and left. I shook my head at the weird encounter, and made my way back towards the common room.

When I got to the portrait, I muttered the password quietly. The portrait swung open and I stepped into the common room.

I set the bag down by the entrance, and then looked around the room. At first, I thought I was alone. Then I heard a quiet sniffling coming from the couch in front of the fire, causing me to flinch. I crept towards the couch quietly and saw Granger curled up and staring into the flames. _Dammit. Why couldn't she just be asleep already?_

Deciding that I would do better to make myself known, I let out a cough. I was expecting her to jump up and scream; instead, she just continued staring into the fire. _Huh. That's… different. Should I be worried?_

She noticed that I hadn't left yet and turned to look at me with tears in her eyes. "Please, Malfoy. I can't deal with you right now. Please just leave me be."

My heart clenched at her pitiful pleading. _Again, why do I care?_ Instead of listening to her, and leaving, I took a seat in one of the armchairs near the fire and handed her the napkin full of food. She took it and looked confused after seeing what was inside of it. "What… Why did you bring me food?"

I was glad that she wouldn't see the light reddening of my face. _Damn pale complexion._ "You weren't at dinner. By the way, you should probably prepare yourself; everyone was talking about the way you ran out of class today."

She pulled her knees up to her chest when she turned back to stare into the fire. "Great. That's just what I wanted to hear. Thank you for the food; I know you didn't have to do that." Just then she caught sight of the bag that I brought back for her.

I cut her off before she could ask. "Weaslette cornered me. She forced me to bring it up here, seeing as she didn't know where to go with it." Hermione nodded and thanked me again.

There was an awkward silence after that. I decided to break it with the question I had wanted to know all day. "Why did you freeze up like that?" At the outraged, and slightly surprised, look she was giving me, I clarified. "I understand why you froze up, but I meant why did _Hermione Granger_, of all people, freeze up? I remember seeing you fight Bellatrix during the final battle; what kept you from freezing up then?"

Granger looked down at the floor at my questions. I didn't think she was going to answer me, so I went to get up. Just before I was out of the seat, I heard her suck in a shaky breath. "I guess that I had just been trying to lie to myself that it never happened. It's been months since the final battle; maybe if I just kept pretending that none of it ever happened, it would go away. Obviously, I had been doing well at forgetting about _her_ existence, at least until today. Then the memories of my time at your home started coming back. During the battle, I was still _so angry_ with her. I was running off fear and adrenaline that night. The boggart took me totally by surprise, and I guess it just caught me off-guard. Did you know that after _she_ tortured me, I had nightmares almost every night for two solid months?"

I sat in stunned silence. _So she's been trying to pretend that none of it ever happened? _To hear her so flippantly speak of being tortured was heart-wrenching. _This girl has been through so much, and didn't deserve any of it._ "Granger… I…" I lowered my head. "I'm sorry."

At my apology, her head snapped up. "What? Why are you apologizing?"

I continued looking down at the ground in shame. "My entire family just watched as she did _that_," I gestured towards the scar on her arm, "to you. I could have stopped her, but I didn't. I had seen her torture people before, but never anyone that I knew. I mean it was horrible to watch her torture people, but when you actually _know _the person… Mother and Father have sealed off the drawing room in the Manor. We don't go in there anymore."

When she didn't reply, I picked my head back up to look at her. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke. "It wasn't your fault. You _couldn't _have done anything; you were smart _not_ to do anything. She would've tortured you if you tried. I could tell that none of you wanted to be in that room while she did that to me. Don't blame yourself. I don't blame you. You're a git, and a prat, yeah, but I know that you didn't want that to happen to me."

It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of me. _So she doesn't hold a grudge?_ "I'm not just apologizing for then, either. I'm sorry for what I've done to you through the years. I mean, look where it has gotten me. I was a slave in my own home, my whole family has become social outcasts, and the Malfoy name might as well be mud. No, the irony hasn't been lost on me, either." I saw a fleeting smile on her face at that last remark. Feeling braver than I have in a long time, I spoke again. "Granger, let's start over. A truce, if you please. I'll get Pansy and Blaise to back off as well."

The flickering light coming from the fireplace made her eyes a warm chocolate color. She had an unsure look on her face, but I could tell that she was considering my offer. I stuck out my hand towards her, in hopes that she would see that I was serious. "I'm Draco Malfoy; what's your name?"

A small smile blossomed on her face as she decided to play along. She reached out and put her smaller hand into mine. "I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to meet you, _Draco_."

I smiled at the feeling of her hand in mine. I nodded at her before standing up. "Well, _Hermione_, it was nice speaking with you, but I must be going to bed. It's getting late, and we have classes tomorrow. Good night." I nodded to her and headed upstairs to my room.

As I lay in bed awaiting sleep, all I could think about was my truce with Hermione. _She forgave me, and is willing to have a truce. At least I don't have to worry about her killing me in my sleep now, right?_

* * *

AN: This wasn't too cheesy or fast was it? I don't really plan for this to be a massive fic like the last multi-chaptered story I wrote, so I'll have to make stuff play out a bit faster than I would like. Tell me if you like to have shorter chapters with more updates, or if you like the chapters long like these, but not as often. I generally make big chapters, so I'm okay writing them, but I know some people don't like to read them!

There is something else I want to ask about: did you like me going into Draco's POV? Tell me why or why not, and tell me if I kept him in character enough. Don't be scared to tell me if I do something wrong or badly!

Thanks, and don't forget to _**FAVORITE**_ and _**REVIEW!**_


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hello! I'm going to go ahead and warn you now that this chapter sucks. I don't like it, but maybe you will! I think I may have made it too long, so sorry about that! Also, it may be a bit choppy; I wrote it in chunks instead of all in one go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters; J.K. Rowling does!

* * *

After Draco and I made the truce, things began to slowly change between us. I would sit Draco at the library, or we would make small talk as we headed down to the Great Hall during the morning. Needless to say, our new friendship caused quite the backlash. Gryffindors would look at me as if I were a traitor. I tried to tell them that their line of thinking is what caused the war that we had all just been involved in, but they wouldn't listen. Being the outcast again made memories of my first year resurface. Ginny was the only Gryffindor that would still speak to me, and I was thankful for that.

Surprisingly, the Slytherins were much less hostile. _Probably because they're scared to act out against a Malfoy. At least Ginny, Pansy, and Blaise are on our side. Once the novelty wears off, everyone will go back to minding his or her own business. I hope._ The Ravenclaws seemed to be indifferent, while the Hufflepuffs gave me sympathetic looks.

At the moment, Draco and I were heading towards the DADA classroom on the third floor. We were running late, and had decided to take a shortcut through a rarely used corridor. Draco turned a corner and immediately spun around and blocked me from something. "Draco what _are _you doing?" I began to worry as I looked at his scrunched up face.

Before he could stop me, I spun out of his arms and looked down the hallway. My eyes widened as I took in the sight in front of me. I spun back around and stuck my face into Draco's chest before I could become violently ill.

Down the hallway, there was a dismembered owl with its body parts strewn all around it, suspended in midair. There was a message written in the owl's blood on the wall beside it.

_Mudblood, your interactions with those higher than you are disgusting and disgraceful. You will be punished most severely for your transgressions._

I shuddered at the threatening tone of the message, and then steeled myself. I looked up at Draco and noticed the look of pain on his face. _He must think that I'm about give up on him. _"Draco." I smiled sadly when he flinched. "Draco, I don't know what's going through your head right now, but I can assure you that it's wrong. I'm not going to abandon you over a single threat."

I felt the rigidity leave his body at once. He glanced down at me for the first time since finding the owl. "You're not going to run off screaming bloody murder just yet, then?"

I chuckled weakly. "Not just yet." I saddened at the thought of the poor creature that had been mutilated. I stepped away from Draco and began thinking out loud as I paced back and forth. "We need to block off this hallway and get the Headmistress." As soon as I said that I raised my wand and sent my patronus to get the Headmistress.

Draco and I set out casting barriers so that no one could stumble into the hallway like we did. Finally, Professor McGonagall came bustling towards us. "Miss Granger, you sent for me?" Noticing the distressed look on my face, she asked in a worried tone, "Hermione, dear, what has happened?"

I shook my head and let down a small part of our barrier before leading the professor on. I heard her shocked gasp seconds after she came through the barrier, along with an "Oh, my."

I turned to Professor McGonagall when something just occurred to me. I paled. "Professor… no one ever comes into this hallway; the only reason Draco and I were here was so we could get to DADA faster. There is no way that whoever did this could've known that I would walk through this hallway, unless they were watching me."

Draco's face was clouded in anger, and McGonagall's in apprehension at my suggestion. Finally, the professor spoke up. "It would seem to be that way. Hermione, can you think of anything that has been odd lately? Have there been any other threats of this nature?"

I looked down. "Everyone has been upset with Draco and I, but I didn't think it would bother anyone this much that we were friends. Apparently, I was wrong."

Professor McGonagall sent an apologetic look towards Draco. "The message focuses on blood status, which would incline me to believe that this would have come from someone in the Slytherin house. Possibly Ravenclaw, but I'm doubtful of that. We'll need to bring Aurors into the school to investigate this." I opened my mouth to argue, but the professor sent me a heated glare. "Your life has been threatened by someone, and I do not take kindly to anyone threatening my students. I will take care of everything; I want both of you to head to my office and wait for me there."

Just as we turned to leave, Professor McGonagall spoke to Draco. "Mister Malfoy, please stay with Miss Granger at all times; until this person is apprehended, I do not want to take any chances. There is safety in numbers." I wanted to argue that I didn't need protection, but Draco just nodded and pulled me along the corridor towards Professor McGonagall's office.

* * *

Twelve hours later, Draco and I trudged through the portrait to our common room. We had just come back from the kitchens since we missed dinner, and felt as if we would fall over from exhaustion any second now.

Draco had gone into an over-protective mode after finding the owl, and had become my shadow. I felt conflicted; I hated that he seemed to think that I couldn't fend for myself, but then I felt ashamed that I _liked_ that he cares so much for my wellbeing. The only time that he left me alone was for me to use the lavatory!

I bade him a goodnight before heading upstairs and into my room. I lay down on my bed, cast a silencing charm on my bedroom, lay down on my bed, and finally fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up with a scream dying on my lips. I could feel the tears pouring down my face and wiped them off before standing up and heading into the bathroom.

I stood in front of the large mirror that stood in front of the sinks and washed my face until it wasn't red and splotchy any more. I tried to stay as quiet as possible, so I wouldn't wake Draco in the room over. Ever since the first threat had been found, my nightmares had returned. I didn't tell Draco about them. _Who wants to be told that a friend is having nightmares about being tortured? Especially when you were tortured in that friend's home, in front of his whole family._

I sighed as I thought about the latest, and last, threat that had come. We found the owl just over two months ago, during October. Now it was December, and there had been a few more messages, but none written in blood like the first. I would just find slips of paper with nasty things written on them, take them to McGonagall, and try to forget about them. I didn't tell Draco about these notes either; he was already being over-protective as it was. _He'd be furious if he found out about them._ I shuddered when I thought about Draco getting angry with me. _Yeah, he's not going to be finding out about them any time soon._

Thankfully, we found who had been acting out against me after the last act. I didn't try to keep this one from Draco, though. _I'm honestly surprised that he didn't have an aneurysm when he saw all of that blood on me. _I felt violated when I found poor Crookshanks, injured, in my own bedroom.

* * *

Draco and I had just come back from classes for the day, and since it was early, I decided that I wanted to get started on the Transfiguration essay that was assigned to us yesterday. I heard Draco's scoff when I turned around to head upstairs. _Well, just because it isn't due for two weeks doesn't mean that I can't get a head start. _

I headed up to my room to change into something more comfortable, and entered absentmindedly as I thought about my essay. I pulled the large red sweater that Mrs. Weasley made for me last Christmas over my head when I caught sight of my bed in my mirror.

I let out a bloodcurdling scream as I turned around to see my sheets covered in blood. Crookshanks was lying in the middle of it and seemed to be injured, but not badly enough to cause that much blood. I heard Draco curse loudly and stomp up the stairs yelling my name. I paid him no mind as I scooped Crookshanks up and ran towards the door with the bloody kneazle in my arms. Just as I reached it, Draco came barging in and blanched at the sight of me covered in blood.

I ran right past his stunned figure and down the stairs to the portrait. _I don't care if he isn't human, Madam Pomfrey can do _something _for Crookshanks, I'm sure of it!_ I could hear Draco calling after me, but I ignored him and ran as fast as I could towards the Hospital Wing. A few people gasped when they saw me running as fast as I could with the bloodied animal in my arms. I could hear feet slapping behind me and could only hope that it was Draco.

I finally reached the Hospital Wing and barged in loudly. "Madam Pomfrey! I need your help, please!"

The kindly old woman bustled out of her office and blanched at the sight of all of the blood. "Miss Granger! What has happened to you?"

I shook my head and held out Crookshanks. I began trembling. "H-he's hurt! Please help me! I don't know what happened, I c-came back to our common room and found him like this!" She nodded and made me lay Crookshanks down on one of the beds. Madam Pomfrey immediately pushed me to the side and began casting diagnostic spells on him. A few parts of his body began glowing red, causing Madam Pomfrey to slightly wince.

The kindly nurse turned to me. "Dear, your cat has been seriously injured. He has some internal bleeding and a few broken bones. I should be able to heal him, but you need to get Professor McGonagall down here if someone did this to your cat." I let out a heavy breath of relief and nodded. Then I realized that I was covered in blood and immediately pulled out my wand. "_Scourgify._"

The blood vanished and put my clothes back to their spotless condition. I turned around to head to Professor McGonagall's office, only to come face to face with an angry and huffing Draco Malfoy. _He is eerily similar to an angry bull, at the moment._ I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell him that.

Draco pointed a long finger at me while gasping for breath. "You," gasp, "just," huff, "ran," pant, "off," sigh, "on," gasp, "me!" He stopped to catch his breath. "I heard you scream, so I ran up to your bedroom, only to find you covered in blood! You didn't even stop to tell me what was wrong when you ran out! I thought something had happened to you! Professor McGonagall told you not to leave me, but you did anyways! Do _not_ do that to me again!"

Then, he surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug. After getting over my shock, I hugged him back. _I could get use—what is wrong with me?! My cat has just been attacked and I'm sitting here lusting after Draco! I've got to get a grip!_ I pulled out of Draco's embrace and sent a patronus to Professor McGonagall telling her what happened.

Surprisingly, Professor McGonagall seemed excited when she arrived a few minutes later. Draco and I stared at her in confusion. Draco leaned down towards me. "Has she gone off her rocker?" I just grabbed his hand instead of replying.

Professor McGonagall walked right past us and up to Crookshanks. She immediately grabbed a paw and cast a spell on it. A few drops of blood came out from under his claw, causing me to gasp. "Professor! That's brilliant!"

Draco, who still hadn't figured out what was going on, finally voiced his confusion. "Does anybody mind explaining to me what exactly is _brilliant_?"

I turned to him excitedly. "Draco! Crookshanks would've scratched his attacker! Their blood would be underneath his claws! We'll be able to find out who did this to him!"

I watched in excitement as the professor put the blood into a vial and beckoned for us to follow her. I smiled at Draco. "It's finally going to be okay again!" Draco returned my smile and took hold of my hand as we began walking towards the Headmistress's office. I looked at our conjoined hands and began to wonder when the lines of friendship and love had blended. _Hopefully, we can end this nightmare today. Then I can think about what's going on between Draco and I._

* * *

I stared into the mirror and sighed, thankful that the culprit had been found. Astoria Greengrass had been arrested later that day after admitting to issuing the threats. Her motivation had been to "get Draco away from the filthy Mudblood whore before it was too late." Draco had been incensed when he learned that it was Astoria, but I made Blaise and Pansy promise to keep an eye on him until Astoria had been taken away from the school.

Astoria didn't regret what she had done. As a matter of fact, she attempted to curse me when we found her in the Slytherin common room and told her that we knew she had been the one issuing the threats. At first she tried to deny it; then we told her that we had proof, because we found her blood underneath Crookshanks' claw. Then she went ballistic and started firing curses. Draco stunned her before even the Aurors could step in.

I breathed out a sigh as I stared at myself in the mirror. I had dark bruises underneath my eyes from the nightmares that had been plaguing me again. I cast glamour charms on them every day so Draco wouldn't ask questions about why I looked like I was dead. I heaved a sigh as I headed back to my bed. Before I could even think of casting a silencing charm like I usually did before sleeping, I was out like a light.

* * *

"_Where did you get it? Answer me, girl! Where you in my vault?" The wild-haired witch was livid._

_I whimpered. "We weren't in your vault! Please! I'm telling the tru—" I was cut off by a searing pain licking through my body like flames. My throat was burning; only a raspy wheeze was coming from me now. I couldn't scream any longer. I began thrashing around on the cold marble floor trying to get away from my tormentor._

_The demented witch cut off her spell. "Liar! You were in my vault! Now tell me, how did you get in my vault? Who let you in, Mudblood?"_

_I could feel tears running down my face, and felt ashamed that I was crying. "N-no! P-p-please! W-we didn't g-go into your v-vault! We f-found the swo—" I heard an angry scream before the searing pain returned. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness._

_Moments before I was completely engulfed in darkness, the curse stopped. "Rennervate." A brilliant flash of red flashed, and I came back to reality immediately. Tears continued seeping down my face. "You didn't think that I would let you slip out of this so easily, did you? Now, _where did you get the sword?!_ Who gave it to you?"_

_Instead of replying, I just waited for the coming pain. Bellatrix wouldn't allow me to respond anyways. I just stared into her wild eyes, causing her to become even angrier than before. "You don't want to play anymore, Mudblood? Well, I'm not finished." The witch cast a spell to hold me down, before moving to my left arm and pulling out a knife._

_At the sight of the knife, I began thrashing around again. I was making pitiful whimpering noises, as the knife got closer to my skin. When the cool metal touched my arm, my thrashing reached a new level; I managed to shriek as the sharp point broke my skin._

_It felt like hours before the witch sat back on her heels in satisfaction. I stared at her with a blank expression before turning my head slightly. I looked at the Malfoy family, huddled into the corner; Narcissa had tear tracks running down her face, while Draco and Lucius looked as if they would be ill. _

_I finally turned my eyes down to my arm. Jaggedly written across my forearm was the word "Mudblood." Tears began leaking down my face again as I saw Bellatrix rise up from her place beside me. _

_The foul witch turned her disgusted glare towards me. "Filth like you shouldn't exist. There is no excuse for it; honestly, I'm doing you a favor by getting rid of you before the Dark Lord arrives." _

_I wanted to feel terrified at the prospect of death, but all I could think of was the impending relief that it would bring. Bellatrix raised her slightly curved wand towards my mangled body. A final tear slid down my face as a green jet of light made contact with my body. I could hear faint screaming coming from the family in the room with us. Then, there was nothing._

* * *

I shot up screaming until I realized where I was. Then I noticed a booming sound coming from my bedroom door. Before I could grab my wand, the door swung open with a loud bang before a distressed Draco Malfoy charged into the room with his wand held high. At the sight of him, I burst into tears again.

He looked confused when he saw that I was sitting in my bed, perfectly fine, with tears running down my face. Slowly, he made his way towards me and sat on the side of my bed. His silver eyes looked extremely confused, but relieved. "Granger, what is wrong with you?"

I looked towards the boy that had tormented me for six years of my life, but now had turned into an unlikely friend. _He's become more than a friend to me. What am I going to say to Ron? _At that realization, my tears came down even harder.

I thought that I had buried my intrigue with Draco after third year, but it had come back in full force after our truce and new friendship. It had been four months ago when we first made the truce; Draco had spent every moment of this time trying to make up for his horrid actions towards me through the years. _It feels nice to have someone to talk to; I love Harry and Ron, but they can't keep up with me like Draco does._

Draco looked even more worried at my lack of response. "Hermione, talk to me. You're worrying me."

Before I even thought about what I was doing, I flung myself into his arms. I felt him stiffen in shock at the sudden contact, but couldn't bring myself to care as I began to sob. "I-it w-was B-Bellatrix. She k-killed me this t-time."

I felt him stiffen, and then let out an aggravated sigh. _Why did I say that? Now he is never going to stop apologizing. _I felt him take a deep breath before I cut him off. "No! Do _not_ apologize again for what that vile woman did! It wasn't your fault! I don't know what it's going to take to make you realize that, but I won't stop until you understand. It was _not your fault_."

He immediately pushed me back so I could look into his eyes. I was surprised to see anger there. "Are you daft? I could've stopped her, and I didn't! None of us did! The three of us were cowards! The three of us could've handled her, but we didn't! Hell, Father could've handled her without Mother and I!"

I stared slack-jawed as Draco stood up from my bed and began pacing and pulling at his hair. "How can you even look at me every day? How do I not make you sick? I'm a bloody coward; I stood by while you were being _tortured! _Every day, I wonder when you are going to realize what a screw up I am and leave me. I can't even believe that you would even willingly speak to me. Then again, you've always been too forgiving for your own good. All of these threats were because of me; you would be better off if you would just forget about me, truce be damned." Finally, he stopped pacing and turned to me with a wild look in his eyes. My heart clenched as I realized how much he loathed himself for what has happened to me.

At that moment, I had just realized he was in nothing but a pair of boxers, in my bedroom. _There are more important things than ogling a mostly-naked Draco Malfoy at the moment. _I stood up from my bed with an unreadable face and slowly walked towards Draco, as if he were a feral animal. I tried to catch his eye, but he immediately looked down. "Draco Malfoy, look at me." He continued staring at the ground, and my eyes filled with tears. This time, though, they were from anger.

I had tears in my eyes, and could barely see him. "D-Draco! Look at me, r-right now!" Slowly, he lifted his head towards me. It took everything I had to not flinch at the sadness in his eyes. "Do n-not _ever_ let me hear you s-speak about yourself t-that way again. _I _will b-be the one who d-decides what is g-good for me! Do you u-understand m-me?" When he didn't reply, I became angrier and stepped right up to him and poked a finger into his chest. "_Answer me!_"

Before I could blink, Draco had me pinned against the wall with his lips covering mine. My brain went numb at the wonderful feelings that Draco was invoking within me. I shut my brain off and melted into the kiss. We broke apart when the need for air became too great. I stared into those beautiful silver eyes of his before I gave Draco a watery smile before speaking. "If you think that I'm leaving now, you are in for the biggest shock of your life."

I could feel the shock radiating off of him. He sucked in a shaky breath. "You don't hate me?" The small voice he spoke in made me realize that we were both teenagers that were dealing with things that no one should endure. I let out a watery laugh and put my head on his chest before picking it up again and staring into his eyes.

I gave him a mock glare. "If I hated you, I wouldn't have kissed you back." I reached up and hugged him around the neck. I looked over his shoulder and saw the remains of my door hanging on pitifully. "Thank you, by the way. You completely took my mind off of that nightmare. It's a shame my door didn't survive, though."

At the mention of the door, Draco's face turned into a fierce glare. "Don't lock the door again. I heard you screaming, and ran up to your room, only to find myself locked out. I thought someone or something was in there with you. After all of those threats, I just imagined the worst. I know she's gone, but still. I would apologize, but I'm not sorry." Realizing how mushy he sounded, Draco scrunched up his nose. "The door was bloody ugly anyways. I helped you out."

I chuckled and turned to look at the alarm clock by my bed and sighed. _Twenty minutes until we need to be in the Great Hall for breakfast. _I turned back to Draco. "We need to get dressed. Breakfast is in twenty minutes, and I don't know about you, but I'm starv—" I stopped when I noticed the dark look in his eyes.

Draco was staring at me hard. I thought back at what I had said, and flinched. "Nightmares?" His cool voice made me feel small.

I lowered my eyes. "It's nothing. They don't happen often, and they don't usually affect me like this one did." It sounded as if I had rehearsed that excuse after I finished talking. I frowned.

From the look on his face, Draco thought so to. "You're lying to me. Tell me the truth." He could see that I was going to protest, so he interjected in a quieter voice. "Please, Hermione, talk to me. How long have you been having nightmares, and why haven't you told me?"

At his gentle tone, I deflated. "I… They started after the first threat. You know why I didn't tell you. There is no reason for me to bring up the past, when it is just that: the past."

Draco had a pained look on his face. "Hermione. Please stop shutting me out. Do you not trust me?"

My eyes widened as I stared at him in shock. I vehemently shook my head, sending curls every way. "You know that I trust you. I just don't want to bother you with them when I can handle them on my own."

I saw relief in his eyes as he chuckled sadly. "You stubborn Gryffindor. You are _not_ going to bother me with your nightmares. You were _tortured_ for Merlin's sake! It's normal for you to have nightmares, and it's normal for you to talk about them to someone. Promise me that, even if you don't speak about them with me, that you will talk with _someone_."

A warm feeling filled my chest at his words. I launched myself back into Draco's arms and nodded my head. "I promise. You know, it's really nice to have someone worry about me for once. For the past seven years, I've been the one taking care of everyone. That's what I like about you Draco; I don't have to take care of you like I do the others."

Draco and I stayed in that position for a few minutes before I finally sent him away so I could get dressed for breakfast. I stared at the mangled door and tried to repair it as best as I could. "_Reparo_." The shattered door mended back into one piece and attached back to the wall quickly.

I could hear Draco calling my name from the common room, so I threw on my school robes as quickly as I could. One thought flittered through my mind: _What is going on between the two of us?_

* * *

AN: I had a huge AN typed, but then Word crashed, and it was lost. I don't really care, but didn't feel like typing it again! Tell me what you think; I don't particularly like this chapter, but whatever! By the way, a spider jumped on my laptop and I almost died while writing this. :)


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Here's the next chapter; it's really just a filler chapter.

Disclaimer: I still don't own this wonderful series called Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling still does.

* * *

The Great Hall was slowly morphing into the Christmas spirit. Everyday, there would be a new decoration added to the large hall. While staring at the sparkling glitter that covered every surface, I absently bit into a piece of toast. I was beginning to stress out about the coming holidays. _Not only am I unsure as to whether I'm even welcome at the Burrow after the breakup, but I don't know what to get Draco for Christmas! _

Being Hermione Granger meant that I usually had a tidy list of the people that I would be buying gifts for, along with what I would be getting them. The only problem is that I usually make said list the first week of December, which I spent worrying about the threats. On top of that, I would be getting Draco a gift this year, and had no idea where to start. _Maybe something quidditch related? Candy, perhaps? What do you get for someone who has everything?_ I groaned out loud at my musing.

An amused voice spoke. "Something wrong?"

I started and turned towards the redhead sitting beside me. "_Ginny!_ You scared me; when did you get here?"

Ginny gave me an odd look. "I _scared_ you? Hermione Granger not aware of her surroundings?" She snorted. "The _Prophet_ would implode on itself if it knew that their 'ever vigilant' war heroin wasn't 'ever vigilant!' But seriously, what's up? I don't think I've ever seen your mind wander off like that."

I rolled my eyes at her. _I seem to be doing that a lot lately. _"I was just thinking about the fact that I have no clue what to get anyone for Christmas! I didn't plan it like I usually do, what with all of those threats."

Ginny threw her head back and laughed. "I thought something was seriously wrong. Hermione, Christmas is two weeks away; you'll find everything you need. I'm sure of it!"

I nodded back at her unsurely. _I can ask her about Ron and if the Weasleys are angry with me. _"Ginny, have you heard anything from Ron? I don't want to step on any toes by coming to the Burrow for Christmas break."

Ginny's face fell at the mention of her brother. I told Ginny about the breakup the night that we arrived at Hogwarts at the beginning of the year. She had been sad that I wouldn't be her sister-in-law any time soon, but never got angry with me. _I guess that face means that I'm not going to the Burrow. _Ginny tried to gently tell me the situation. "Hermione. He's still hurt from the breakup, from what I gathered; you should probably just stay away from him for a while, at least for the time being."

I tried to smother the disappointment that I had been bracing myself for a while. At the sight of my downtrodden face, Ginny looked sad for a moment, but perked up quickly. "Hermione! I know! I can stay here for the holidays!"

I tried to tell her that she didn't have to do that for me, but she wouldn't let me tell her no. "It's settled; I'm staying here for the holidays. It's my last year here; it'll be easy to explain why I'm not coming home to my parents. I'll promise them Easter! You're not about to be left here to sulk all alone on _Christmas_! Malfoy won't be here, will he?" I shook my head. She continued. "Good! We can stay in the Heads' common room and have a two week long slumber party! This is going to be great!"

I smiled at Ginny's enthusiasm, and felt grateful to have such a good friend. Since it was a Saturday, I had no classes, and headed up to the Heads' common room after breakfast to continue reading one of the books that I had found in the bookcase in the common room. _I've gotten through nearly half of them; hopefully, I'll have them all read by the time we graduate._

I entered the common room and headed immediately for the window seat where I had left my latest book opened. The warm sun shining down on me from the window made me smile. My smile widened when Crookshanks joined me moments after sitting down.

I had been lying in the same place for nearly two hours when Draco came down the stairs groggily. I nearly opened my mouth to greet him, but I realized he hadn't seen me. A smirk graced my face as I saw the always cool and collected Head Boy look so… normal. I had learned quickly that Draco Malfoy did _not _wake up early if he didn't have to.

I realized he was fully dressed, minus his boots. My smirk widened. _Time to have fun._ I had seen his boots peaking out from under the large couch in front of the fireplace when I came in. I pulled out my wand and slowly summoned the shoes away from their resting place and into my hands. I watched his frustration increase until I was hearing small growling noises and the occasional curse coming from him.

_I guess I should put him out of his misery_. I spoke in a loud voice. "Looking for these?"

Draco simultaneously jumped, yelled, and cursed. "Granger! How long have you _been _there?!"

I was doing my best to reign in my Cheshire grin. "Long enough to see you check the same place three separate times for your boots."

A faint blush dusted his cheeks. "I did _not_ check for them in the same place that many times." _He looks so much more attractive when he is like this. Flustered is a good look on him. Then again, most anything is. _My smile slightly wavered at that thought.

Trying to get back on topic, I smiled at him in a placating way. "Of course you didn't." I let out a chuckle at his glare before continuing. "To answer your question, I've been here for about two hours now. I decided that I wanted a productive day and had an early breakfast with Ginny this morning before she started quidditch practice."

Draco shook his head in disbelief at me, causing his hair to fall slightly in front of his eyes. "Crazy Gryffindors, the whole lot of you! How can you possibly get up that early on a Saturday?"

I snorted at him while stretching my jean-clad legs across the window seat. I saw his eyes follow my legs, causing me to blush. Trying to clear up the awkward tension that had just sprang up, I replied. "Well, it wasn't that—" My mind caught up with my thoughts. _Sprang up._ I turned red. _Oh Merlin! How old are you? Twelve? _Then I realized that I had just stopped talking in the middle of my sentence. _Tomatoes everywhere must be jealous. _I felt like I could die.

Draco was looking at me strangely. "Granger? Are you okay? You look like you're about to spontaneously combust."

I felt like I was on fire. I hopped up from my place in the window seat, fidgeted nervously, and ran up the stairs to my bedroom. _Good move, Hermione. That definitely didn't just make things even more awkward._ I groaned as I flopped down onto my bed.

My mind has been swirling with thoughts of the kiss that we shared a few days ago. _It was a fluke. Both of us were stressed out mentally and physically. It didn't mean anything._ I groaned again at how, no matter how much I told myself that the kiss didn't mean anything, I didn't believe myself. _This is just splendid Hermione! You should _not _be thinking of Draco Malfoy like this! I'm sure he isn't pining after me!_

I rolled over on my back to stare at the roof. _How can I have a crush on Draco? Yes, he has been wonderful for the past months, but it's too soon. I just ended my relationship with Ron; I shouldn't be thinking about anyone like this. Ron would be livid if he knew what was going through my head. _I held my hand out towards the roof before letting it fall beside me. _I need to talk to someone about this. _

A frown appeared on my face as realized that I didn't have any friends at Hogwarts, other than Ginny, Draco, Blaise, and Pansy. _I c__an't speak to any of the Slytherins about this; they'll tell Draco. Maybe I can talk to Ginny during the holidays about it? I'll fill her up with her favorite chocolates from Honeydukes, and then tell her. At least it'll cushion the blow. _I cringed at my plan, but realized it was the best chance I had if I wanted to talk about these new feelings.

I was broken from my musing when I heard voices down in the common room. Quietly, I crept towards my door. I recognized the voices to be Blaise and Pansy. They had started coming to the common room quite often, just as Ginny had.

I heard the stretching of the leather couch as they sat down. Pansy was speaking, and I only caught the end of what she said. "… is Hermione, Draco? Isn't she usually up bright and early during the weekends?" My face flushed as I realized what Draco would undoubtedly tell her. Pansy and I may be on better terms, but she still would harass me mercilessly over this.

I heard him laugh. "I don't know, I haven't seen her this morning. She's probably roaming around outside in the snow making snowmen and snow angels, like all of the other Gryffindors." _He's lying for me. _I had to stop myself from slapping my forehead. _Of course he would, he never was as thick as Harry and Ron about these kinds of things. Of course he had to add an insult to the end of that, but he wouldn't_ _be Draco Malfoy if he didn't._

The Slytherins' conversation moved onto more boring subjects, losing my interest. I nonverbally cast a silencing charm on my room and climbed back up on my bedwith a small smile on my face. _He didn't tell his best friends about my embarrassing catastrophe of a reply!_

* * *

Ginny and I trudged through the thick snow in Hogsmeade, hoping to finish our Christmas shopping. The streets of the small village were crowded as students tried to finish their shopping for the holidays. I was dragged by an overly enthusiastic Ginny into Spintwitches, the sports shop. Ginny's reasoning for dragging me in was "you'll be able to find something for Harry and Ron in here, for sure." I knew that she really only wanted to look at the newest Firebolt that had been released, though.

I unhappily followed Ginny around the store. Ginny continued excitedly chattering as she led me towards the display model of the broomstick. I heard the bell above the door chime and caught a glimpse of silvery-blonde hair before I was pulled away by Ginny. I blushed at the thought of meeting Draco after the disastrous meeting this morning. _Well, if I keep an eye on him, I will be able to avoid him easier. _I frowned at my pitiful excuse, and snuck away from Ginny. _Yeah, I just want to make sure I don't accidentally run into him. No other reason._

Luckily, Draco had stayed on the bottom floor of the shop while I was on the top. I quickly found his signature hair near the broomstick tune-up kits. He had been looking at one in particular for a while now, and seemed to be contemplating buying it. In the end, he shook his head slightly and walked away from it. I watched as he quickly paid for his items and left the shop.

When I was sure that he had left, I headed down the stairs and towards the tune-up kits to look at the one Draco had been studying. The kit must've been high-end if the glossy wooden case was any indication. I pretended to study the case before simply taking it to the register. _Well, I might as well not even pretend like I understood what I was just reading. Maybe I'll get a book on broomsticks and quidditch; not understanding something is rather unpleasant._

I stopped on the way to the register and grabbed a gift for Harry. Feeling slightly guilty, I turned back and grabbed something random for Ron from the shelves. _Even if I did break up with him, he's still my friend. _

Apparently, the tune-up kit for Draco was more expensive than I thought. I didn't want to look like an idiot, so I sucked it up and paid for the expensive kit. _The git better be happy about this._ After paying for my things, I marched back up the stairs and dragged a complaining Ginny away from the Firebolt. We headed over to Honeydukes and picked up a _lot_ of candy and chocolate for gifts, and for our "slumber party", as we had taken to calling it.

Ginny and I were exhausted by the time we left Honeydukes, and slowly made our way back towards the castle. I went with Ginny to the Gryffindor common room so she could put her gifts away. Looking around at the familiar common room made my heart ache. _I spent so many nights in front of that fireplace studying_; _I can't believe I only have a few months left here._

Ginny returned to me and we made our way towards the Heads' common room. Ginny made herself at home in front of the fire while I went to my bedroom to put away my gifts. Just as I turned to leave my room, I decided that I should hide Draco's gift. _He's always been nosey; it wouldn't hurt to hide his gift. In fact, it'll probably be fun watching him try to find it._ I shrunk down the gifts and put them inside of a small box. Then I put that small box into my bag with the Undetectable Extension Charm on it. Satisfied that he wouldn't find his gift, I headed back down the stairs and sat down beside Ginny.

We chatted about inconsequential things for a long time. It felt good to gossip like a normal teenage girl, and not have to worry about anything else… well, other than the fast-approaching finals, that is. It was late before Draco arrived back at the common room. He glanced at Ginny and I before giving us a weary look and fleeing to his bedroom. Seconds after hearing his door click shut we exploded into laughter.

Ginny left at around midnight. I tried to make her stay so she wouldn't be out after curfew, but she just laughed and told me that it wouldn't take her but a minute to reach the Gryffindor common rooms, as the Heads' common room was on the seventh floor too. I sighed, but relented and sent her on her way. _What would the Headmistress say? The Head Girl letting students walk around after curfew; Draco's a terrible influence on me._ I sniffed haughtily before turning away from the portrait.

I climbed up the stairs and headed to my room for the night. I didn't bother turning on a light when I reached my bedroom as I intended to go straight to sleep. While walking towards my bed, I flicked my wand at my clothes and transfigured them into a nightgown before flopping down into my bed.

I shrieked as I hit something that was decidedly _not_ my bed. A pained wheeze came from beside me and I flicked my wand towards the noise. "_Lumos."_

I immediately had two silver eyes squinting back at me. "Draco! What are you doing in here?!"

Squinting his eyes shut, Draco moaned. "Turn that light out, Granger! I was waiting for you to come up so you could get your bloody cat! The beast has taken up residence in my room and won't allow me in without a blood sacrifice. I fell asleep while waiting, apparently."

I was immediately embarrassed. "Oh no! I'm sorry! He doesn't usually act like that; I'm going to go get him right now!" I hopped up from the bed before Draco could say anything and headed towards his bedroom. I cracked the door open and realized that this was the first time that I had ever seen the inside of his room.

I had thought that his bedroom would've been decked out in green and silver; instead, it looked identical to my room. I would have studied the room longer, but was interrupted by growling and hissing that was coming from the center of the bed. "Crookshanks! Don't you dare hiss at me! This is Draco's room, not yours! You can_not_ run him out of his own room, mister! Get down from there, right now!"

At my scolding, Crookshanks stopped hissing and growling, but didn't move to get up. I threw my hands in the air. "Oh fine, you lazy cat." I walked over and picked up the kneazle and walked back into the hallway, only to run straight into Draco's bare chest.

Crookshanks began hissing again at the sudden reappearance of his least favorite person. I blushed. Again. _Thank Merlin it's dark in the hallway. _Draco didn't look impressed at Crookshanks outbursts. "Granger." I frowned at the use of my last name. _I thought we were past last names. _"Your pet is a monster. A large, ginger monster." He brushed by me, and stopped just before shutting the door. "Good night." The soft click of the door seemed extremely loud in the silent hallway.

I scurried back into my room and fell into the sheets. I was immediately wrapped up in a smell that I could only describe as Draco. I snuggled my head deeper into the blankets; with his comforting scent around me, I was asleep in moments.

* * *

AN:This chapter isn't really that long (compared to my other chapters), but I just did this as a bit of a filler chapter. I just read over this before uploading and realized how much I used the word "I". Sorry about that; I'll try to keep it in check next time!

I realized how rushed the last chapter was, and I honestly hate it. I wish that I would've separated the threats up into a few chapters and gone into more detail, but I think I know how to salvage the situation. I also realized how rushed their friendship was; again, I wish that I would've gone into more detail, but I didn't. I'm trying to make up for it with a bit of Dramione interaction in this chapter to show that both of them were caught up in the heat of the moment in the last chapter. They felt threatened and confused. Now in this chapter, you see that it has created an awkward tension as neither of them are approaching the subject! Yay tension! I just felt that this chapter needed to be here to clarify the feelings from the last chapter, and to show that they won't be saying they love each other anytime soon!

Sorry for the big explanation, but I really felt it was needed after that terrible chapter. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to _**FAVORITE**_ and _**REVIEW!**_


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Instead of reading my book for my orientation class that I have to take when school starts, I'm jamming out to my music and finally writing another chapter for Endings and Beginnings! Sorry for the wait, but really it wasn't TOO long. I don't think. Lol! I promise that I'll try to up the action in this; it can get dull quickly if I don't!

Also, I've been watching A LOT of Studio Ghibli movies lately; see if you can find the _Howl's Moving Castle _reference in here!

* * *

It was finally Christmas break, and the castle seemed eerily quiet without all of the students. I quickened my pace towards the Great Hall. We got her settled into the Heads' common room this morning, and after we ate breakfast, we would finally be getting started on the two-week, two-woman party. A small smile flitted over my face at the thought.

I entered into the Great Hall and looked around at the completed Christmas decorations in awe. I hadn't stopped to actually _look_ at the decorations yet, and now I was glad that I did. There were large strands of garland looped on everything, along with tinsel. Wreaths were hung anywhere they could fit. At the end of the Hall was a massive fir tree, heavily decorated in the four house colors.

I nearly skipped to the Gryffindor table to sit by Ginny. The decorations had put me into a good mood, and nothing could break me out of it. I cheerily plopped into the seat beside Ginny and smiled widely at her confused face. "Good morning!"

She continued staring at me warily for a few seconds. "Hermione… What's got you in such a good mood?"

My smile dimmed a small bit. _Does it really worry her if I'm not in a snippy mood? _"The Christmas decorations are beautiful, aren't they? Am I not allowed to let them make me cheerful?"

Ginny looked mildly surprised at my answer, but just shrugged and accepted it anyways. After we had finished breakfast, we headed back up to my common room and settled down in a pile of blankets in front of the fireplace.

We chatted and talked for a long while. While we weren't talking, we were gorging on candies and chocolate from Honeydukes. It was nearing dinner when our stomachs finally began to want _real _food. I immediately offered to run down to the kitchens to get some food. Ginny absently nodded at me, her eyes never leaving the book on quidditch that I picked up in Spintwitches.

The castle had only gotten creepier at night. The torches were casting sinister shadows down the cold hallways. I pulled my cloak around me tighter and wrapped my hand around my wand in my pocket, all the while picking up my pace. My hair began standing on end, as if someone was watching me from the shadows. I could feel my heart about to burst from my chest. I heard a rattling exhalation from somewhere behind me. The temperature was rapidly dropping, and I could feel sadness tugging at my heart. _No, it can't be! _

The rattling breath was right behind me now. I spun around and whipped my wand out of my pocket. I came face to face with the Dementor. Before I could cast my patronus, the Dementor had lifted me off the ground by my neck. I raised my wand up to the foul creature before stinging it slightly. It dropped me and I wasted no time. "_Expecto Patronum!" _The ethereal blue otter hit the dementor, illuminating the corridor for a moment. The dark creature shrieked before flying out of a near window. I took a long shuddering breath, before letting it out in a sigh before raising my wand one more time. "_Lumos Maxima."_

I turned around and began quickly walking back towards the dormitories, food forgotten_. What was a dementor doing in the castle, and why did it attack me? _I reached the common room quickly and ran inside. Ginny was still in the same place reading, and frowned when she saw my empty hands.

Before she could speak, I cut her off. "A dementor was in the castle. I felt like I was being followed on the way to the kitchen, and then the corridor I was in turned ice cold. It tried to attack me, but I got rid of it. After that, it flew out of a window and out of the castle."

By the time I finished speaking, Ginny's mouth was wide open in horror and she was staring at my throat. I could feel bruises starting to form where the dementor's fingers had gripped my throat. "A dementor did that to you? In the castle? Hermione, are you sure? We need to tell Professor McGonagall, right now!"

Ginny hopped up and pulled her wand out and towed me along until we reached the Headmistresses office. We went up the spiral stairs and knocked on the door. A few moments later, Professor McGonagall answered the door in her nightgown. Before I could speak, Ginny did. "Professor, Hermione got attacked by a dementor in the castle!"

Professor McGonagall immediately ushered us in and sat us down in front of her desk. She had an angry look on her face. "A dementor attacked you? In the castle, as well?"

I nodded. "It was near the kitchens. I got the same feeling that I had this morning, except more intense this time. I felt like I was being followed, and it turns out I was. Before I could do anything, it had lifted me off the ground by my neck. I stung it so it would let me go, then casted my patronus to get rid of it. It flew out of the castle, but I don't know if it will stay away." In a smaller voice, I spoke again. "Professor, dementors don't just attack people for fun. Do you think that it could have been sent to attack someone, and it just happened to come across me?"

The professor looked intrigued. "Possibly. There are many people who wanted the war to end differently. Just as there is for Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, there are people that would wish to see you fail. Maybe even more so for you, as you concocted most of their hair-brained plans."

Ginny butted in then. "Could it be related to the threats that Hermione was getting a few weeks back?"

The elderly witch began to shake her head no, but then stopped herself. "Astoria Greengrass is under house arrest, but that isn't to say she is the only person that was in on the threats. Astoria could have just been a pawn in someone's game, for all we know."

The grim truth had made the three of us go quiet. Finally, Professor McGonagall broke the silence. "Well, I think it would be best if you both went back to the Heads' common room. As Mr. Malfoy isn't there to watch over Hermione, I would like it if you would stay with her, Ginevra."

Ginny nodded. "Yes ma'am." Ginny and I headed back down the stairs and started the short walk towards the common room. When we got back inside, both of us sat down on the couch in silence.

After a few minutes, I spoke. "I'm so sorry Ginny. I've ruined your holiday. You should've just gone on back to the Burrow." _Why can't these people just accept that they _lost _the bloody war! They were _wrong!

Ginny looked over at me with a grin. "Hermione, you didn't ruin my holiday. As a matter of fact, I plan to continue this sleepover just as before. Only, this time, I may get to cast a bat-bogey hex on someone! If anything, it's an improvement really!"

I cracked a smile at Ginny's enthusiasm. _I wish I were brave as her. I'm so glad she stayed with me._

* * *

It was finally Christmas morning. Ginny and I had continued our "party," even through the looming feeling of dread. We had both been on edge, but had been trying to pretend that everything was okay. Thankfully, ever since the dementor attack, nothing had happened.

While Ginny was tearing into her presents, I took all of the cards from under the Christmas tree. I smiled at the cards and went to place them around the room on display, when I noticed that there was one left sitting on the table beside the couch. I walked to the couch and sat down, pulling the card to me. I turned the letter over in my hands. The only thing written on it was my name in neat cursive. My eyebrows furrowed. _I've never seen this handwriting before._

Ginny still wasn't paying me any mind, so I quietly turned the envelope this way and that. _Something feels off about this letter._

Instead of opening the letter, I sat it down on my lap and cast a few spells on it to make sure that it didn't have any hexes or curses on it. Satisfied that I wouldn't die or be seriously maimed when I opened it, I broke the nondescript wax seal on the back and slid out the perfectly folded piece of parchment inside. My eyes widened as I read.

_Mudblood Granger,_

_The Greengrass bint and the dementor were just the beginning. She was useful enough. She put fear into your heart, as unhappy as you are to admit it. There _will _be penance for your actions, willingly… or not. A filthy mudblood has no place. You don't belong in the muggle world, and you most definitely do not belong here. If you leave, and sever all ties with any and every witch or wizard, you won't be contacted again. If you choose to stay, "Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Wilkins" lives' are forfeit. You didn't honestly think that you could hide your dear parents away from us, did you? Choose wisely, filth._

_I almost forgot! Happy Christmas, mudblood._

_Antonin Dolohov_

_P.S. It is so lovely to be out of that prison, wouldn't you say? I haven't forgotten about your pretty little face, ever since our duel at the Ministry! After I break you, I may just keep you around as a… toy. Wouldn't you just love that?_

I continued to stare at the letter in shock. _Dolohov knows about my parents._ I couldn't do anything to stop my shaking hands, causing the letter to slowly drift to the floor. I could hear Ginny asking me what was wrong, before giving up entirely and taking the letter for her self. After a few moments, I heard her gasp, then start cursing.

Any Christmas spirit that I had previously was gone now. I stared into the fire numbly. _Either I leave everything that I love, or my parents die. There has to be something I can do! How did he break out of Azkaban, _and _find my parents? No one has been able to find them, and the only other person to ever break out of Azkaban was Sirius. _I felt hopeless as I stared into the fire.

Ginny had finally stopped cursing, but I could sense the anger rolling off of her in waves. "This just isn't fair! We fought so this stuff wouldn't happen anymore, but it still is! When do we _get a break?_"

I looked at her sadly before shrugging. "Ginny. I think… I think it would be best if I left." Ginny's head whipped towards me. Seeing that she was about to go off again, I cut her off. "Just for now, anyways. At least until I can find him and get my parents back safely."

Ginny looked livid. "What the _bloody hell_ is_ wrong_ with you?! You are _not_ about to go on the _run _again because a psychopath told you to!" I stood up without looking at her. She continued on. "Where are you going? Stop _ignoring _me! Hermione!" I marched up to my bedroom and pulled out my familiar sequined bag and started filling it with essentials.

Ginny barged into the room a few moments later, huffing at the sight of me packing the sequined bag. "Hermione! _Stop it! _You are _not _going anywhere!"

Ginny's angry yelling had made me angry. I spun around. "What would you do if he had _your _parents Ginny? Would you just ignore him? He is a _Death _Eater! He won't hesitate to _kill_ them! I _have _to listen to him!" I broke down in tears when I realized that he had total control over me as long as he had access to my parents. Slowly I sank down onto my bed.

A few seconds later, I felt the bid dip down beside me as Ginny sat by me and wrapped her arms around my shoulder. I cried for a few more minutes before sitting back up. I turned to Ginny. "Thanks. We need to take this letter to McGonagall, and tell her that I plan to go into hiding." We left the Heads' common room and made our way back to the castle, letter in hand.

We entered the Headmistress' office, surprised to see all of the people inside of it. There were Aurors everywhere, and we saw McGonagall talking to the one that seemed to be in charge. When she was done talking to the man, she turned to us. "Good morning, and happy Christmas, girls. What did you need? Excuse the Aurors, they are here to strengthen the wards on the school. There has been an escape from Azkaban."

Instead of answering her, I just handed the letter over. Her face paled, but then changed into unbridled fury. "Auror Pendragon! You need to see this immediately. A threat has been issued from the escapee."

The Auror came back over to her and read the letter. His forehead crinkled as he read the letter before turning to me. "Ms. Granger, when did you receive this? Where did you get the letter, also?"

I looked towards the dark haired Auror. "I found it with the rest of our Christmas cards this morning. I thought it was just another card, until I opened it. When I didn't recognize the handwriting, I cast a few diagnostic spells on it to make sure it wasn't cursed."

He seemed impressed. "I guess they call you the "brightest witch of the age" for a reason, then. Thank you, that's all I needed to know. Late last night, Antonin Dolohov escaped Azkaban. We think that he had help from the inside, as Azkaban has never been more secure. After Sirius Black's escape, the warden had the security revamped. Dolohov couldn't have gotten out by himself. Also, know that we are doing our best to find your parents. From a professional point of view, I think it would be best if you went into hiding. That doesn't mean that you have to leave wizarding London, but stay low."

The Auror got a peculiar look on his face before speaking again. He had a faraway look and seemed to be speaking more to himself, this time. "I think I know the best place to put her. I guess we'll know if they've changed like they say they have, too. Dolohov would never look there for her." He nodded to himself before quickly giving us a goodbye, and that he would send instructions for me later in the day.

Professor McGonagall and Ginny looked as confused as I'm sure I did. I spoke first. "What was he talking about? Who is he trying to send me to?"

Both witches looked at me, unsure. Professor McGonagall decided that it would be best for her to stay with me until we received instructions from Auror Pendragon. The Headmistress had a house elf bring breakfast up to her office and we ate in silence. The office seemed extremely quiet after being so full of Aurors this morning.

Around lunch, Auror Pendragon came back through the Floo with a smile on his face. "They have agreed to house you until this mess has been taken care of. You need to go get your things, and meet me back here. I'll escort you to where you'll be staying."

I went to ask him where I would be going, but I had been shooed out of the room by Professor McGonagall to go get my things. _I guess she wants to interrogate him. She won't let him send me somewhere too awful._

Ginny and I slowly walked towards the common room. We had both realized that this would be the last time we would see each other for an undetermined amount of time, and were trying to draw it out. Sadly, we reached the common room in just a few minutes. Ginny followed me up to my room as I packed my trunk full of clothes and anything else that seemed important. I did this by hand to drag out the process; not only did I not want to leave, but I was slightly apprehensive as to where I was going.

I was robotically throwing things into my trunk. From_ the way Auror Pendragon spoke of the place, it seemed as if the people wouldn't be too happy about my presence. _My face paled. _Oh no. What if he sends me to some snotty pureblood family! I think I'd rather face Dolohov._ At that thought, I shook myself. _You're doing this for your parents; suck it up. You're a Gryffindor; you can handle a bit of unpleasantness!_

I finished packing my trunk and turned around with a sigh. Ginny was sitting on my bed, arm wrapped around one of the posts, and was staring at me with sad eyes. She stood up and flung her self at me. "Promise that you won't do anything stupid like go after him on your own! Be sure to owl me, if you can! I guess I shouldn't tell Ron and Harry about this; I mean, you are going into hiding, right?"

I sighed sadly and nodded at her. "You can't tell them Ginny. Tell Professor McGonagall that, if people start asking about my disappearance, I want them to think that it is family matters keeping me away. It wouldn't be a lie, but at the same time, it won't make anyone think twice about it."

Ginny nodded at me before letting go. We walked back to the Headmistress' office slowly, and entered. Professor McGonagall seemed to be angry, but Auror Pendragon seemed calm and collected. I steeled my nerves. "I'm ready, sir."

Both of the adults spun around. Professor McGonagall tried to school her features, but didn't succeed. She hugged me and told me to be strong. _That doesn't sound good._ I stepped out of her embrace and turned to the Auror who was waiting by the fireplace. I walked next to him and grabbed his arm. He threw down the floo powder and yelled out the destination. "Malfoy Manor!"

My face paled and my eyes widened as the green flames swallowed us entirely. _Did he say what I think he said?!_

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AN: Dat cliffhanger. Anyways, don't forget to _**FAVORITE**_ AND **_REVIEW!_** Tell me what you liked/didn't like!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Two in a day! I'm on a roll! There's an f-bomb in here, so be prepared! Muahahahha! By the way, this is what I listened to while writing this chapter: Remember to delete the spaces! www . youtube watch?v=aWmj1bMR4Mo

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Auror Pendragon and I stumbled into a sitting room a few moments later. I looked around, thankful that we weren't in _that _room. This room was similar to the drawing room, but seemed to be warmer than the drawing room. Auror Pendragon pulled me forward and out of the fireplace.

Moments later, a house elf popped in to the room. "Mistress Malfoy told Trixie to escort sir and madam to the library. Mistress is waiting there!" His squeaky and excited voice calmed me a bit as we were lead through the labyrinth of a house. _Oh dear. Narcissa Malfoy is not who I wanted to spend my day with._

Finally we came to a large set of oak double doors. Trixie pushed them open and we followed her inside. My breath left me in a whoosh as I looked around the massive multi-storied library. The walls _were_ bookcases, except for the final wall which was a large window overlooking the Manor's grounds. Trixie led us to one of the couches in the center of the room. "Mistress! Trixie has brought madam and sir!"

My head snapped forward at the elf's words. I slender hand patted Trixie on the head. "Thank you dear. You may go now." The elf disappeared with a loud crack.

Finally, Mrs. Malfoy stood up from place on the couch and turned to look at us. "Hello again, Auror Pendragon. Miss Granger." I stood off to the side while Pendragon spoke with Mrs. Malfoy. Finally, the man turned to me. "Miss Granger, if you receive anything else from Dolohov, tell Mrs. Malfoy about it. She'll contact me." He turned to leave, but stopped a few feet away before turning around once more. "Keep low. Don't leave unless necessary, Miss Granger. Good luck." He left, and I was finally left alone with Mrs. Malfoy.

She broke the silence first. "Well, I guess I should show you to your room so you can put your things away. Follow me, and then we can return to the library. I noticed the way you were looking around at it." I was glad her back was to me so she couldn't see my embarrassed blush.

It felt as if were in the maze during the Triwizard Tournament. I had given up trying to remember the way and just followed behind Mrs. Malfoy's willowy figure silently. Finally, we stopped halfway down a hallway in front of another oak door. She turned to me. "This will be your room."

Mrs. Malfoy pushed open the door and walked in. I followed behind her and gasped. The room was massive; it looked like the penthouse suite of a hotel. Instead of being dark colors like the rest of the house, the walls were a beige color, reminiscent of the Heads' common room. I was interrupted from my musing by Mrs. Malfoy. "Draco told me what the common room that you and he are sharing looks like, so I changed the colors this morning. I figured it would make you a bit more comfortable in this house. I know you don't have the fondest memories here."

I looked at the Malfoy matriarch in surprise. Her beautiful face seemed slightly downcast, but she still looked the ever-proud woman that I was used to seeing. _She wants me to be comfortable?_ "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. For taking me in; you didn't have to, and I'm thankful for that. I'll just put my things away, and we can head back to the library."

I wandered through the rooms until I found my bedroom. I sat my trunk down on my bed and turned around to leave. _I'll just put everything up later._ I met Mrs. Malfoy outside of my rooms and followed her back to the library. Any reservations I had were removed once I entered the expansive room again. "Mrs. Malfoy, this library is wonderful. It's much larger than Hogwarts'!"

Mrs. Malfoy let out a tinkling laugh. It shocked me to hear the reserved Malfoy laugh. _Even her laugh is beautiful; I feel like a clumsy donkey next to her!_ "You may call me Narcissa, if you'd like. Draco mentioned that you loved to read; I can see he wasn't lying."

I watched as she drifted back to her couch and sat back down with an old book that was lying on the seat beside her. _Well, if she wants me to call her Narcissa, she can call me Hermione. _"Mrs. Ma—Narcissa, you can call me Hermione, then, if you'd like."

She looked away from her book and gave me a smile. "Alright, then. Hermione, take any book you want; none of them are off limits. We've tried to purge out all of the… unsavory books in here after everything that happened. Those books have been relocated to the Malfoy vault in Gringotts."

At the mention of Gringotts, I blushed. Narcissa caught the blush and laughed again. "I remember something about you flying out of there on a dragon, am I correct?"

I blushed harder and grabbed a book before sitting in a comfortable leather chair near Narcissa. "That's right. Those two hair-brained friends of mine always get me into the biggest of messes." Narcissa let out another of her charming giggles before turning back to her book.

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Narcissa and I stayed in the library for the rest of the day. Finally, as the sun had just gone down we finally left. Narcissa spoke as we walked down a hallway to the dining room. "Well, Lucius and Draco should be back by now."

I had to restrain myself from asking where they had gone. _It is none of my business._ "They are aware that I'm here, aren't they?" At the thought of sneaking up on Lucius Malfoy, I began panicking. "Maybe I should just go to my room? Trixie can bring something for me to eat, and then I won't be intruding on your Christmas dinner!"

Narcissa turned to look at me. "Lucius knows that you're here, if that's what you're worried about. We've already talked everything over. You _won't _be intruding, either. I quite like your presence, and I think that Lucius will too."

I looked in unease at the matriarch before agreeing to attend dinner. _It would be rude to not attend, especially since they have taken me in._ "Yes, ma'am." I was anxious to see Draco again, but the thought of seeing Lucius Malfoy again made me nervous.

We entered the dining room, and I let out a breath, unaware that I had even been holding it in. The dining room was much smaller and intimate than I thought it would be. The table could seat around six people easily. I was worried that we would be eating at a massive table that could hold twenty people easily.

Narcissa seemed surprised that her family hadn't arrived yet. She pulled her wand out and sent a patronus on its way. "They usually get back before night. I wonder where they are. I guess we will go wait somewhere else; this isn't the most interesting room in the Manor."

I followed her as she turned and walked away. Finally we entered into another room. This room seemed to be well lived in, and had a grand Christmas tree standing proudly near a large window in the corner. I turned and gasped. A shiny grand piano sat on the other side of the room. I thought back to when I had tried to teach the beginning of _Für Elise_ to Ron while we were at Grimmauld Place and smiled wistfully.

I turned to Narcissa and gestured to the piano. "Do you mind if I play?"

She looked delighted. "You can play? That's lovely, and yes you may. It has just been sitting there for years as none of us can play. It has been charmed to keep itself in tune, as well."

I quickly walked to the piano and lifted back the key cover and smiled. _This is real ivory and ebony! What a nice piano! _I slowly pressed a key down and grinned at the wonderful tone of the instrument. _This is the nicest piano that I've ever seen._

I took a deep breath and began playing _Moonlight Sonata. _It has always been my favorite song to play. The soothing, but melancholy, melody never ceases to wash away my problems and replace them with peace. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me and take me to a different place; away from rogue Death Eaters, away from parents that don't remember me, away from all of my problems.

I had become so enraptured with the music that I hadn't heard the door open, nor had I noticed the two men who cautiously stepped inside and were staring at me in shock. The song reached its climax as a single tear slid down my face from underneath closed eyelids. I paid it no mind. Finally, the song came to a haunting end. As I let off of the sustaining pedal, the only sound in the room was sniffling.

My eyes snapped open at the sound. On the couch was Narcissa trying to contain her sniffling, Lucius staring at me in a pleased manner, and Draco looking at me in a happy, but confused manner. _Oh dear. _My mind caught up with what Narcissa a few minutes ago. "_Lucius is aware you're coming."_ It took all I could to not nervously fidget. _Draco was most definitely unaware of my coming!_

* * *

Mother had insisted that Father and I spend time together today, as she had business to attend to. We knew that she wouldn't have anything to do on Christmas Day, but both of us knew better than to question her. Father didn't seem the least bit worried, so I tried to contain my curiosity. _He must know something about what she's doing, then._

We had been invited to play quidditch at the Parkinson household, just as we were every year at Christmas. It helped that Pansy had a lot of cousins, and that Blaise had been invited as well, or we wouldn't have enough players.

Ever since the war ended my relationship with my father has been strained. I wanted to go back to how we used to be, which is why I didn't fight when mother made us spend time together like this. The day of quidditch had been just what we needed; we hurriedly left when we received a questioning patronus from Mother.

We had just stepped inside of the Manor when Father shushed me. He had a concentrated look on his face. I was going to ask him what he was doing, when I heard it. _Is that the piano? Who's playing it?_

Both of us crept towards the piano room, as we had taken to calling it through the years. When we reached the door, Father lightly opened the door and sharply inhaled when he looked in. Finally, he slowly walked in and headed towards the couch.

I stuck my head into the door and almost choked on my own spit. _Hermione Granger is in my house, playing the saddest song I've ever heard, for my mother, and I have no idea why._ I slowly drifted to the couch after noticing that Hermione was in her own little world, and sat down in shock. All I could do was stare. A solitary tear ran down her face, but she seemed unaware of it and continued playing. My forehead creased. _Why is she crying?_

Finally, the song came to an end. The sound of my mother's sniffling filled the room. Hermione's eyes snapped open and she looked panicked when she saw all three of us, instead of just my mother. Father spoke first. "That was wonderfully done. How long have you been playing?"

She looked shocked that Father was speaking to her. I saw her swallow before replying. "I was seven when I started taking lessons, so… around ten years, Mr. Malfoy."

Father nodded. "It shows. Your playing seems to have… touched Narcissa. Draco, keep Miss Granger company while I take your mother to calm down a bit." I could barely nod as my parents exited the room, leaving Hermione and I alone.

I continued staring at her, not knowing what to say. Finally something just slipped out. "I didn't know you could play the piano?" I wanted to slap myself at such a stupid remark.

She smiled shyly. "It never came up in conversation." Her face turned serious then. "I take it that they didn't tell you I would be here, then?"

I shook my head. "No, they didn't. I'm guessing that you were the "business" that Mother had to take care of this morning?"

She nodded at me, and then pulled her wand out. After casting a silencing spell on the door, she began speaking. "An Auror brought me here this morning."

I had a bad feeling when she said that. "What? Why would an Auror bring you _here_ of all places? What were you even doing with an Auror?"

She looked down and seemed to be bracing herself for something. "I'm guessing that you heard about Antonin Dolohov's escape from Azkaban last night?" I nodded. "Well, apparently he has some vendetta against me." She pulled a piece of parchment from a pocket in her jumper and took a seat next to me on the couch. "Read this; it will explain everything. I got it this morning with the rest of our Christmas cards."

By the time I was finished, I felt as if I wanted to punch something. Slowly I turned to her and spoke in a deadly quiet voice. "Who are 'Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Wilkins?'"

Hermione looked down at her lap. "Draco, do you remember when I told you that I sent my parents away to Australia with new memories? Well, I gave them new identities too. Wendell and Monica Wilkins are the names that I gave my parents'. He found them, Draco. I have to do what he says, as I'm not willing to take a chance to see what happens otherwise. The Aurors thought I would be safest here, as Dolohov would never think that the _Malfoys of all people_ would be hiding a _mudblood_."

I stared at her in shock. _This girl made the toughest decision of her life to save her parents, and it was in vain. _I didn't say anything to her; instead I just reached over and pulled her towards me. She fell onto me and began sobbing. I just stroked a hand through her hair and waited for her sobs to die out.

After a few minutes, she pulled herself together and picked her head off of my shoulder. "I'm sorry. You'll have to change your shirt, seeing as I soaked it."

I nodded and stood up. "Don't be sorry. You have a legitimate reason to cry, and you know I won't turn you away if you need me." She gave me a watery smile before standing up too.

She cast a spell to dry her tears and get rid of the puffiness of her eyes. I grabbed her hand and saw her blush. I smirked before I started pulling her towards the door. "I'll take you to the Dining Room; we'll be eating soon. Unless you want to help me change my shirt?"

I felt her go rigid and I couldn't hold in my laughter any longer. I turned and only laughed harder at the redness of her face. "I'm just joking!" I managed to choke that out before I started laughing again. She huffed and turned her nose up before walking away. I stared at her with a bemused smile on my face. She walked for a few seconds until she stopped and slowly turned around.

She had a peeved look on her face. "I forgot where the Dining Room was." I snickered again and motioned for her to follow me. I understood being lost here; I grew up in this house and didn't learn to navigate it completely until I was ten years old. We finally reached the Dining Room after a few minutes of walking. I sent her in before heading off to my rooms to change. I wasn't too worried about leaving her with my parents, seeing as she has spent the day with my mother already.

I thought about the letter that Hermione had gotten this morning, and could feel my anger returning. _She has proved time and time again that she is a capable witch. That should be enough. She's a better witch than I am a wizard. She could probably even take down my Father if she had to. She's a much better witch than the pureblood witches in our year. _I reached my door and absently pulled a shirt out of my closet.

The part of the letter that made me the angriest though, was the postscript. After reading what he had said to her, white-hot anger and jealousy filled me. I had been surprised at the intensity of my feelings, but understood them quickly. I was jealous. The thought of anyone treating Hermione like a… toy made me feel sick. _The thought of anyone _touching _her makes me feel sick. The stupid fuck better not try anything._

I stalked back down to the Dining Room, still in a rage. When I reached the door, I took a few deep breaths to calm down before entering. Shock replaced anger when I stepped inside. All I could do was gape at the sight in front of me. Mother and Father both were listening to Hermione recounting what happened when she, Tweedle-Dee, and Tweedle-Dum broke into Gringotts. I slowly took a seat and smiled as I realized that Hermione, a muggleborn, was getting along with my pureblood parents. _Maybe there is a chance._

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AN: Here is another chapter! This one kind of felt like filler, but it's okay! That's what it was. I think it is reasonable that Hermione can play piano, considering she was teaching the famous part of Für Elise to Ron at one point in the seventh movie! I hope it didn't make her seem Mary Sue-ish or something!


	8. UPDATE!

Thank you guys for favoriting and loving this story! I apologize that this isn't an update, but rather and explanation as to why I haven't written in forever!

I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this in a while. I started my first year of college this year, and with constant studying, I haven't had very much time to write! I don't intend to abandon this story; I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciate all of the love that this story has gotten! Hopefully I'll get back to writing it soon! Thank you guys for being so excited about this; I probably would have given up on this story if you guys didn't seem to love it so much! Again, I'm really sorry about this not being an actual chapter, but I just wanted you guys to know that I haven't forgotten about you or the story!

Sincerely,

lkuecrar


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